Adrien woke up to the alarm on his phone going off. It was a high pitched noise, and one that he didn't normally wake up to because he usually turned it off before it could go off. Had he changed the settings? He groggily reached for it on it's place on the floor. He picked it up. He was suddenly very awake. He sat up and stopped, suddenly very aware of where he was.

He was still in Marinette's living room. The dark couch and swirling area rug, warm and welcoming, had apparently been more charming that he remembered. He was still in his street clothes and snuggled under a blanket on the Dupain-Cheng's living room couch. There was a few abandoned plates of sweets and a couple of bowls of popcorn on the small table. A pile of movies was strewn across the floor. He slowly started to remember what had happened. He and Ladybug had fought off his ex-girlfriend, and he and Marinette had swapped sob stories. They closed down the bakery and they watched movies and ate snacks until it was late.

Adrien smiled a sleepy smile and looked at Marinette. He hadn't pegged her as a scary movie kind of girl. He was right. She jumped at every noise, and she was spooked at every surprise. She screamed when things jumped out of closets and when the lights turned off. After the first movie, Adrien had asked her if she really wanted to watch these. She had replied by telling him that she loved being scared, which was fun because she was so easily spooked. It was enchanting. He huffed. To be fair to Marinette, he had jumped more than once, and by the time they made it to the third scary movie they were under the same blanket with their hands over their eyes, and laughing at each other when they jumped or screeched.

Adrien hadn't known that being scared like that could be so much fun. He remembered why he had woken up in the first place. His eyes grew wide and he jumped off the couch, scooped up his meager belongings, and ran out the door. He was going to be late. Again.

He raced across the street and down the sidewalk to his apartment complex. He raced up the stairs and unlocked his door faster than he'd ever unlocked anything, and threw his street clothes across his floor as he pulled on his uniform and ruffled his now unsavable hair. He pulled on his shoes again and grabbed his bag shoving his phone into it. He put his keys between his teeth and raced back out of this apartment and down the stairs to the street. He took off at a run, and prayed for a miracle.

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Marinette woke up to the sound of the door slamming shut. She groggily opened her eyes, and sat up slowly. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around. The living room was still a mess from the movie marathon she and Adrien had. She blinked and sat up, looking to Adrien's spot on the couch. The blanket was tossed aside, and Adrien's things were gone. She gasped. They must have fallen asleep during the movie.

She picked up her phone and she paled. If that was Adrien leaving, he was going to make it to training by the skin of his teeth. She felt a pang of guilt that she had kept him up so late, and not encouraged him to go home. She sighed and put a hand over her eyes. Nothing to be done about that now.

Tikki zipped out from under the blanket, "How scandalous!" She giggled.

Marinette sat up, and pulled the hair ties from her hair, running her hands through the long, tangled mess, "What?"

"Adrien spent the night at your house." Tikki teased.

Marinette frowned, "It's not like that and you know it's not." She sighed, "I do feel bad that he'll be late, though."

"It's not like he's never been late." Tikki shot Marinette a look.

Marinette pursed her lips, "I know. But I still feel bad."

Tikki grinned, "I wouldn't. Your parents walked past the two of you on their way to the bakery. They didn't seem to mind."

Marinette groaned, "Really?"

Tikki sighed, "Yes Marinette. Did you think that they teleported down to the bakery?"

"No." Marinette made a face, "I just hope they didn't think anything happened."

Tikki laughed, "Yeah, on two separate couches, you and Adrien got in a lot of trouble. And don't worry about his training. They haven't kicked him off the force yet, so I wouldn't be worried."

"Fine." Marinette huffed, "I won't worry about Adrien. Instead, we will worry about cleaning up the mess we made last night."

Tikki floated to the plate of stale cinnamon rolls, "I'll help you."

Marinette laughed, "Yes you can have those, Tikki."

Tikki's eyes sparkled, and she turned grabbing a large piece of the cinnamon roll and chewed on it happily. With a full mouth she looked at Marinette, "I like this new baker Marinette. She has more sweets than Fashionista Marinette."

Marinette rolled her eyes, and started to gather up the movies from the table.

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Adrien slid into his chair with not a second to spare. Cherlie shot him a look, and Adrien gave her a shy smile. He hadn't been late for a few weeks, and Cherlie and Antoni had thought that he'd been cured of his inability to tell time. He didn't have the heart to tell them that he always knew what time it was, but that he was very bad at judging how long it took to get places. And, even though he now knew how long it took him to flirt with Marinette and then get to the precinct on time, that didn't save him today. He hadn't been flirting with Marinette this morning. He had been sleeping on her couch. His face got warm.

Next to him, Bellamy jabbed his elbow into Adrien's ribs, "Dude. What happened to being the star student? I thought your tardy days were behind you. Cherlie looks like she's gonna eat you for breakfast."

Rondell nodded, "This is a strange change of character. And your hair is a mess, Pretty Boy." Rondell raised an eyebrow, "Going for a wind tousled look?"

Adrien smoothed his hair down, and laughed nervously, "I didn't have time to comb it okay? I slept past my alarm, and decided attendance was better than appearance. And then I ran all the way here."

Bellamy gave him a knowing look, "You look tired. Were you out late?"

Adrien shot him an annoyed look, "Of course I'm tired. I just ran here."

Bellamy scoffed, "Yeah, but why did you wake up late?"

Adrien thought carefully about what he was going to say next. If he told them that he spent the night at Marinette's house, they would undoubtedly get the wrong idea. But he couldn't lie to them. He didn't want to lie to them.

He caved, "Yes, I was out late." he sighed.

Bellamy wiggled his eyebrows, "Was it a girl? Were you out with a girl?"

Adrien frowned, wishing that Cherlie would tell them to shut up before they got any further into their interrogation of his evening activities. She didn't save him.

Rondell hummed, "Was it that cute bakery girl? You seem to spend a lot of time with her. Do you have feelings for her, Pretty Boy?"

Adrien sighed, "Not you too, Ronny."

Rondel smirked with a shrug, "The name suits you."

Bellamy huffed, "So was it, or was it not bakery girl?"

"Her name is not 'bakery girl' it's Marinette." Adrien sighed, slightly annoyed.

"So it was her." Rondel hummed.

Adrien paled, and the heat of embarrassment raced up his neck and across his ears and cheeks, "Okay yes, I was with Marinette but nothing happened. We stayed up late last night watching movies and I fell asleep on her couch." Adrien blurted, "So I'm late because I wasn't by my alarm clock."

Rondel and Bellamy laughed together.

Bellamy let out a sigh, "You fell asleep on her couch? Like it was a sleepover? How old are you? Six?"

Rondel clapped Adrien on the shoulder, "How honorable of you to sleep on her couch."

Adrien huffed, "And have either of you spent time outside of work dating?"

They looked at him with glaring eyes.

"You're just jealous that I get to see Marinette all the time." Adrien smiled.

Bellamy sighed, "So you do like her. Is her couch comfortable?"

Adrien huffed, "Very."

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Marinette wiped her forehead and looked at a now glittering kitchen and clean sink of dishes. She had cleaned the whole bakery in preparation for the next month of service in which they had at least five wedding cakes to bake and decorate every week. That, along with their regular services and any surprise orders were going to keep her and her father extremely busy while her mother carefully balanced all of the finances. So, in an attempt to make everything easier, Marinette had spent the whole day cleaning the bakery, refreshing all of the products like frosting and flour, and restocked all of their supplies. They were ready. At least as ready as they could be.

Business had been wonderful since her parents had made an appearance at the convention where they bought the new mixer and a few other industrial tools to help business. They had also been featured on the local tv show promoting small businesses around town. The bakery had never seen so many customers, and it was great for them. But it meant that she was very busy and very tired most days. However, she thought briefly back to her fashion days and smiled. She was happy here.

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Adrien looked down at the schedule in his hands. They were done with all of their training that was in a classroom, and were being moved to a rotating schedule of office duties, ride alongs, and tactical training. He was going to be up to his ears in things to get done. He opened up his phone and transferred all of the information from his printed schedule to his calendar and frowned. His days would be starting earlier and ending later. He would have to put his flirting with Marinette off until things calmed down.

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Marinette sat up quickly as her alarm rang in her ears. She didn't bother with her hair, or even try to look fashionable. She had so much to get done today. She grabbed a headband and a hair tie and pulled her hair back as much as she could. She pulled on a baggy t-shirt and an old, worn in, pair of jeans and raced downstairs. Her mother handed her a slice of toast and she ate it quickly. Her father followed her down the stairs and they finished their breakfast hastily, and raced down to the bakery. They had to get started or they would never finish.

Marinette flipped on the lights and grabbed her apron off the hook and tied it around her waist as she dashed around the space, turning on ovens and the water supply and all of the machinery so it would warm up and be ready to use. She turned on the warmers and checked that all the fridges and freezers were the right temperature. She ran out to the front and turned on the showcases. In the back she could hear her father pulling supplies out from the fridges and cupboards to get ready for the long day ahead of them.

Marinette squared her shoulders. She was ready to frost and decorate two wedding cakes and four batches of specialty cookies.

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Adrien walked into his apartment and fell onto his bed without even taking off his uniform. He felt his eyes slam shut as he kicked his shoes off. He groaned, and threw his keys to the ground.

"Why today of all days?" he murmured, "Why did there have to be an akuma attack today of all days? I am going to be tired for a month."

Plagg sighed, "Then you'll finally know how I feel after a long akuma fight."

Adrien sighed, annoyed, "Don't even start."

Plagg huffed, and flew off to find something to eat, and Adrien tried to convince himself that he needed to take his uniform off before he fell asleep. He wasn't doing a great job.

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Marinette sighed and looked at the filthy bakery. The month of crazy orders had turned into the two months of crazy orders and she hadn't done anything but frost cakes and cookies and cupcakes and bake macarons and make frosting for weeks. But, with the cold of the winter season rolling in, there would be less people in the store for sweets, and less orders for large batches of pastries. There would be time to clean the kitchen again, and time for her to fix the broken table in the cafe and to clean out the coffee machine. There would be time for her to sleep. She locked up the bakery for the night.

She untied her apron and walked up to her house with it swinging from her neck. She crawled up the stairs and into her room, throwing the apron towards her laundry basket with no real aim. She kicked off her shoes, and made it to her bed before she let her eyes close with no thought of how early she would have to be up tomorrow.

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She woke up with the sun slanting in through her skylight, and she yawned. She sat up and ran her hand through her hair sleepily. She didn't have to work today, but she still had things that she needed to get done. Her room needed to be organized and her laundry needed to be done. She had agreed to help her father clean the kitchen from top to bottom later, and she wanted to shower the frosting and flour out of her hair. She smiled, a shower would wake her up and help motivate her to get things done. She popped out of bed and waltzed down to the bathroom.

After a shower and a fresh set of clothes, she quickly organized her room and gathered up her laundry to be washed. She walked the laundry down to the washer and dryer and started it going. She relaxed, that had taken a shorter amount of time than she'd thought it would. She made her way to the kitchen, where she rewarded herself with frozen waffles with fruit and whipped cream. She rinsed her plate and made her way back up to the washer and dryer and moved her laundry over. After a little more relaxing, catching up on her social media and reading all of her emails and making sure all of her bills and payments were up to date, she heard the dryer buzz. She jumped up and retrieved her freshly cleaned clothes and told herself that if she put them away now, she wouldn't have to do it later.

She sighed, and forced herself to fold and hang up her clothes. She set the laundry basket back in its place and slid her shoes on. She grabbed her apron and made her way down to the bakery. It was time to clean the kitchen again. She hung her apron from her neck and walked down all the stairs. As she descended the three stories to the bakery, she twisted her long hair into two quick braids. She tied on her apron and smiled as she entered the bakery.

"Bonjour, Papa! I'm ready to help clean." She put her hands on her hips.

Tom turned to look at her, "Ah!" He beamed, "My sleeping princess has been kissed by the morning prince and is finally ready to take her place in my kingdom of cakes!"

Marinette laughed and put her hands on top of her head, making a tiara with her fingers, "Yes I am! I am the princess of the cake kingdom and I have come to serve my king as he tidies up his castle." She put her hands down.

Her father laughed, and she hugged him, "Let's get started."

He huffed, "A great battle lies before us. We must stay strong."

Marinette flexed her small arms, and laughed, "This is all I have."

Tom laughed, "If you help me gather all the small parts and bowls that need to be washed, I'll do the dishes and you can clean out the fridges."

Marinette frowned, "Only because I love you Papa. And a princess never turns down a task given to her." She winked.

Tom straightened his apron, "That's my girl."

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Adrien handed his paper to Cherlie, "There you are, ma'am. All of my rotation papers signed and approved. I'm ready to advance, if you think I'm ready."

Cherlie straightened herself in her desk chair, and hummed as she flipped through all of Adrien's papers. The instructor's notes were clear and praising. His senior partners all had wonderful things to say. By all counts Adrien Agreste was ready to move on to the final step in becoming a real officer. Cherlie pulled a blue folder out from the drawer of her desk and set it on her desk.

"Looks to me like you've really learned the ropes, kiddo. I've been hearing good things about you. A promising applicant." she smirked, "And you haven't been late for weeks."

Adrien smiled back, "I've done my best."

"Well," Cherlie stapled all of his papers together, and slid them into the blue folder, "looks like your best is the best we've got, Sugar. I'm gonna submit these to the chief and he'll assign you an official senior partner. You'll work with them on regular duty and you'll have to take the gun certification and licensure exams."

Adrien felt a weight come off of his chest. He'd spent the last few weeks buried in learning every single thing he could from every officer that would teach him. He knew how to do basically everything in the precinct. He knew all of the officers in evidence and in the filing room. He could find you a stapler in moments and he could also tell you where to get a new set of handcuffs. He had spent time watching how the officers worked outside of the precinct and studying criminal law and sociology. But even though he'd taken all of his final tests and had all of his final meetings with his teachers and trainers, it had been nerve wracking to have to turn all of his papers and work reports into Cherlie. She was wonderful but she was also the most senior officer and the head of the education and placement of new officers.

He sighed with relief, "Wonderful. I was nervous that you would tell me I didn't have what it takes." He smiled.

Cherlie raised an eyebrow, "Honey, you're the brightest and most dedicated recruit we've had in years. And you're charming. You're good and fair. Of course you have what it takes." She shot him a serious look, "Except a final training partner and a gun."

"I can't do anything about the partner issue," he smirked, "But how do I certify to have a gun? Where do I get a gun? Do I need to get a gun?"

Cherlie laughed, "No Sugar, we have standard issue firearms. You just need to pass the safety and firing exams." She pulled out a sheet from her desk organizer and handed it to him while she sealed and stamped the outside of his blue folder.

"Thank you." he took the paper from her.

"You're the first one to get all of your paperwork in, so you get to choose where you want to sit in the safety class first. I recommend the second row on the left. Braqious is a wonderful teacher and a fabulous officer, baby, but he got halitosis and if you want to focus on the lecture and not the smell, that's where you wanna be." She pointed to the seat.

Adrien smiled, "Thanks for the heads up. When does the class start? How long is it?"

"Starts on Monday, Pretty Boy, and it's three days, a practice day on thursday and a final certification test on Friday." She explained and took the paper back.

"Anything I need to do to get ready?" He asked, eager to be closer to being a real officer.

"Go home." She huffed.

"What?" Adrien paled, "It's noon on Friday. Surely there's something else I can do to be helpful or to learn or-"

She cut him off, "I like your spunk, kid. But you can't do official business without a senior officer until you graduate. You have no more training you can do until class starts. The other recruits are going to scramble around all weekend getting all of their paperwork together, but you, Honey, you get to go home and relax for the first time in weeks. Hang up your recruit hat and get some sleep, Pretty Boy." she waved him away.

Adrien was dumbstruck, "Thank you Ma'am."

She waved him away even more forcefully.

He smiled and made his way to his locker to pick up his bag, put on his shoes and light coat, and walked out of the precinct to relax for the first time in weeks.

He stopped at the doors. He could go see Marinette at the bakery. He beamed, and walked out into the cold air feeling more refreshed already. A few days ago he realized that he'd been so wrapped up in doing things in training and focusing on his studies that he hadn't been to the bakery in almost two months. He hoped Marinette wasn't mad at him. He hadn't meant to stop coming by the bakery but he was always too busy to stop by.

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Marinette sat down on the stool in the back of the bakery and sipped at her water. She and her father had been taking turns cleaning and running the cafe. Her mother had been able to help for a couple of hours, but had to return to making orders and crunching numbers, leaving the two of them to keep it up after she left. Luckily they were only a few hours away from a sparkling kitchen with clean utensils and full frosting buckets. But Marinette needed a break. Just for a few minutes. Her father was out in the cafe, and from the sound of it, he would be busy for a few minutes. She sighed.

"Tikki, would you like to run away with me?" Marinette smiled, "We could travel the world trying all of the most delicious treats and buying all of the cutest shoes."

Tikki flew up from the pocket of Marinette's apron, and sat on the edge of the counter, "While a trip around the world does sound exciting, we can't leave Paris without a protector. And can't you buy all the cute shoes you want online?"

Marinette huffed, "I was trying to go on an adventure Tikki."

Tikki laughed, "As if working in a bakery and being a superhero weren't adventure enough, you also want to travel the world?"

"Not really." Marinette sighed, "I just wish I could catch a bit of a break you know? I've been running around with Chat Noir almost every day. I didn't even know that was that many people in Paris! If La Papillon wasn't around I could be like a normal bakery girl and just be tired and smell like bread. But I am also a super strong, spotted heroine." Marinette laid her head on the counter.

Tikki sighed, "I know it's not ideal. But you're amazing! You balance your life as a hero and your normal life so well. I'm sorry that you don't have much time outside of helping me and Chat Noir keep people safe."

Marinette sat up, sipping at her water again, "It's fine. I can handle it. I just wish I had more time sometimes. I haven't even had time to think about texting Adrien to even say 'Hey I'm a horrible friend and I haven't texted you or called in weeks because I've been up to my gills in flour'."

Tikki giggled, "You don't have gills, Marinette."

Marinette raised and eyebrow and smiled at the kwami, "You don't know."

Tikki dashed back into Marinette's pocket as her father came back into the back. He looked at Marinette with a funny face, and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh," she waved her hand, "Just talking to myself, Papa. And laughing about how strange life is. A few months ago I was a fashion star and now I am a baker."

"And a good one at that!" Tom grinned.

Marinette smiled, "Thank you, Papa."

"Are you done slacking back here? There's work to be done!" He laughed.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "I'll go take care of the cafe while you clean. Are there any customers right now?"

"No." Tom smiled, "And I know you wanted to fix that table that wobbles. So you can watch the store and fix the table and I'll work on putting the cookies and pastries back in the warmers and the dough and frosting back in the fridge."

Marinette laughed, "It's a deal." She stood up and made her way out into the storefront of the bakery and picked up the screwdriver from behind the register. She made sure no one was looking and she lifted the table up with one hand and put the foot back under it and put the screw down into the threaded hole. She held the table and the foot in one hand and screwed the screw down with the other. As soon as it caught, she set the table down, and worked on twisting the screw all the way down.

The door chimed, and Marinette smiled, "Welcome to the Boulangerie Patisserie I'll be right with you." She tightened the screw and got out from under the table, her twin braids dragging on the floor.

She looked up, and smacked her head on the edge of the table. She grabbed her head and Adrien laughed and kneeled down next to her.

"I'm sorry Marinette I didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright?" He snickered.

She laughed a little, "Charming aren't I? It's a wonder no handsome man hasn't snatched me up yet, I'm so graceful and articulate."

Adrien smiled but gave her a teasing look, "Yes, Marinette, you are the epitome of grace and class with your flour coated apron and screwdriver skills."

She smiled, and flipped one of her braids, "Well thank you. I worked hard to get my apron this dirty. It's nice that someone has finally noticed my efforts."

Adrien stood up with a laugh, and offered his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He dusted off his hands, and sighed, "I'm sorry I haven't been by in so long. I've been overwhelmed with tactical training, and learning about filing papers."

Marinette waved a hand, "It's no problem. I wouldn't have had time to even text you back. I've been up to my ears in frosting and fondant for weeks."

Adrien put his hand over his heart, "Oh good, I was worried it was you avoiding me."

Marinette sighed and looked at him for the first time in weeks. Her heart swelled, and she felt that familiar sense of peace wash over her. He was still kind. He was still bright, and he was still handsome. She shrugged, "In a way I was, but not because I wanted to, but because I just didn't have time."

"Well I'll forgive you this once," he smirked, "If I can have a muffin and some coffee for the first time in what feels like years."

Marinette laughed, "For our favorite customer, a muffin is the least we can do for you."

Tom appeared out of the kitchen, "Is that Adrien I hear?"

Marinette sighed, "Yes, Papa, he is gracing us with his presence."

Tom laughed, "Well pick a treat, my boy, on the house. You're looking well! How has that training to be and officer been?"

Adrien relaxed and looked at Tom, "Well, after all those fight matches with you, I learned how to defend myself. So tactical training has been a breeze. And paperwork? It's like being in school again. So long as it's turned in on time, no problem."

Marinette rolled her eyes, and walked back to the register. She put the screwdriver away and leaned on the counter.

"Have you finished cleaning, Papa?" She hummed.

Tom let out a long breath and leaned over a little, "I think the rest of the cleaning can wait until tomorrow. Let's take a break and eat some sweets and have something warm to drink. We've earned it."

Marinette smiled, "From what I hear, we all need a break." She winked at Adrien.

His heart skipped.

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Ladybug flopped across Chat Noir's lap, and sighed, "I'm so tired. Adult life is hard. I don't have enough hours in the day to make this hero thing work."

Chat Noir put his arms across her stomach, and leaned back on the cold beams of the Eiffel Tower. He sighed, "I hear you, My Lady. I don't think I've gotten more than four hours of sleep at any single time since I moved back to Paris. Ah, how youth is wasted on the young." He sighed dramatically.

Ladybug scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You're still young."

"You don't know." He countered, "You don't know who I am or what I do. I could be an old man in a clever disguise for all you know."

"Oh," Ladybug laughed, "You wouldn't be such a pain if you were any older. Clearly, you are still young enough to think that you're funny, and that your looks and charm can win the heart of any girl."

Chat Noir shrugged, "I guess that's true, though I only want to win the heart of one girl. And I already have yours." He winked.

Ladybug sighed again, "You think you're charming." she continued, "I keep thinking that it's going to get easier but it's not. Good thing we have each other. I most definitely could not do this by myself anymore."

"You're stuck with me and my fabulous puns for the foreseeable future."

Ladybug groaned, "Oh my."

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Adrien walked out of the final class of his gun certification class, looking down at the paper that said knew everything he needed to know to carry a gun. All of the rules and all of the policies he would have to follow as an officer and all of the paperwork he had to fill out if he actually fired the gun. He was surprisingly nervous to have a gun. It's not that he was uncomfortable with the firearm, he was used to them. Every bodyguard he'd ever had carried a weapon at his father's demand, but Adrien had never had to carry one.

He walked to Cherlie's desk. She wasn't there. He frowned, he could have really used some encouraging words from his favorite mentor. He slid the certificate into Cherlie's box, and made his way back to the lockers. He was free to go, and didn't have to come back until tomorrow for his practice firing exam. He sighed. Maybe Marinette would have something nice to say. He could use a treat anyway.

He smiled a little. The sun at this time of day in the bakery was nice, and he was always welcome to hang out there. He grabbed his bag and walked in the chilly fall air to the bakery, hoping to find his favorite baker. He walked into the small cafe and set his bag down at his table, where the sun was in the perfect spot. He looked to the counter, and no one was there. He raised an eyebrow.

"Hello?" He called.

There was a clatter in the back and Tom appeared in the doorway, "Hello my boy! How are you today?"

Adrien felt himself droop a little, "I'm having a rough day. I was hoping for a warm treat and to maybe talk to Marinette?"

Tom smiled, "I will make you any warm treat you'd like. Cinnamon roll? Fresh muffin? Melty cookies?" Tom wiggled his eyebrows and laughed, "Unfortunately, Marinette is busy for the next few days helping Alya alter her wedding dress. Apparently the tailor at the shop did something horrible to the dress that only Marinette can fix. I don't understand it. But, she won't be back until friday."

Adrien drooped a little more, "That's alright. I just wanted to ask her, I mean, I wanted to talk to her about something. It's not a problem."

Tom raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Adrien huffed, "I shouldn't be so nervous about it. It's just a gun certification. But it has me kinda worked up. I've never carried a weapon that dangerous. I mean, I know about personal defense and stuff like that. But a gun can cause a lot of damage, you know?"

Tom laughed, "And you wanted to talk to Marinette about this?" He asked as he pulled a fresh cookie and cinnamon roll from the warmer. He handed them to Adrien. Tom watched as Adrien's eyes lit up. Adrien looked up at him.

"Thank you." Adrien picked at the cinnamon roll, "I don't know. Marinette has this way of making people like they can do anything they set their mind to. And I know that I'll probably be fine. But, selfishly, I just wanted her to tell me that she believed in me."

Adrien flushed as he realized what he'd said, but decided it didn't matter that much anyway. Her parents had to figure out that he liked Marinette as more than a friend eventually.

Tom huffed with a smile, "I can understand that. She does have a special light about her."

Adrien laughed sadly, "Yes she does. But if she's not here then her uplifting personality won't do me much good."

Tom nodded, "That's true. But a warm treat can cure many ailments. Nerves. Love unspoken. Uneasiness about a gun test."

Adrien smiled, "Thanks."

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Marinette looked at Alya in her dress, and she groaned, "Alya why didn't you just have me alter it in the first place?"

"Believe me girl, if that had been a choice I would have picked it. But the dress shop said that they make the dresses to order, so it had to be tailored by them." Alya growled, "Big mistake. The dress is pretty, but do I look like a doll to you? How am I supposed to fit inside this?" Alya turned around to show the bare wedge of her back that was showing where the dress should have zipped.

Marinette cringed, "I don't know how you could alter something to be this wrong. Like. Was this dress even made for you? If we had any more time before you got married I would say return it, demand a refund, and buy something different."

Alya huffed, and ran her hand through her hair, "Yeah, but we don't have time, Nette. My wedding is in just a few days. This is a crisis."

Marinette laughed, "Don't worry, Al. I've got this. I'll need to brainstorm, and I'll need to probably do some re-lacing. Or," she scrunched her face, "More beading? Take the beads off? Redo the bodice. No, we don't have time for that."

"Whatever." Alya whined, "I just want to make it through this wedding without any more disasters. You're still making me cookies, right?" Alya looked at Marinette with horror.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "Yes. I'm still making you cookies. Now let's fix your dress before we get distracted by sweets."

Alya took a deep breath, "Good idea."

Marinette beamed, "I've got it! You're gonna love this." Marinette flipped open her notebook and started scribbling.

"Wait!" Alya laughed, "What are you doing?"

"Just you wait and see this. It's gonna be amazing." Marinette grinned as she continued to plan how to fix Alya's dress.

Alya maneuvered her way to sit next to Marinette and watched as her talented hands flew across her sketchbook paper, and as the details became more clear Alya almost screamed, "Oh my God, Marinette that's amazing! I would have never thought of that, and it's gorgeous."

Marinette looked smug for a moment, "A gorgeous dress for a gorgeous woman."

Alya squealed and hugged Marinette, "You're a life-saver."

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With the sound of the final shot ringing in his ears, Adrien watched in slow motion as the testing target was pulled forward to be inspected. Adrien's ears were ringing louder and louder and the target was moving slower and slower. This was it. This was his final test before he would be out in the field as an officer in training. He was only a few weeks away from being an officer. He felt his mouth dry out and he continued to stare at the test target as it stopped in front of him. He didn't even register the gunshot holes on the target paper.

"Mister Agreste." The tester hummed.

Adrien shook himself from the trance he was in, and he smiled, "Yes?"

"How do you think you did?" She gestured to the target.

Adrien blinked, and then remembered that he forgot to look at the target as it had pulled up. He looked at the shape of a human with three perfect gunshots in the dark red zone, and a smile pulled up the sides of his face and he looked at the instructor, "This is mine?"

"Yes, Sir." She smiled.

Adrien beamed, "I think I've done a fantastic job! Look at this!"

She snickered, "Yes, Monsieur Agreste, you have done very well. I cannot give you the official results, but I can say off the record that you've made it. Welcome to the force." She winked.

Adrien pumped his fists and jumped up into the air, "Yes!"

"Now you're dismissed, and once all of the trainees have taken the exam we will post the scores and the final rulings. Have a good weekend."

Adrien took a deep breath and felt all of his pent up anxiety leave his body. He smiled at the test moderator and turned to leave the firing range. He hung up his safety goggles and his protective ear pieces, and moved to push the door open.

"NO!" He heard someone shout.

Adrien jumped back from the door and looked around to see who had shouted at him. At the same moment, he felt a stinging pain in his shoulder. He looked down at his shoulder, to see that there was a hole in his shirt, and blood was slowly seeping through the fabric. He raised an eyebrow and pushed the fabric aside, and felt his world start to spin. His ears were ringing again, and when he tried to move his arm to get a better angle to look at the strange pain, a fire ignited across his chest and down his arm and he put the pieces together. He had been shot.

88888888

Nathalie raised an eyebrow as the house phone started to ring. She picked it up, "Agreste residence may I ask who's calling?"

The voice on the other end sounded kind but urgent, "I have a private matter to discuss with a Monsieur Agreste regarding his son Adrien Agreste. Is he available?"

Nathalie frowned, "I'm sorry but Monsieur Agreste is a very busy man. I am his private secretary. State your business and I will relay your message to him."

The voice sighed, "I'm sorry ma'am but this is a private call. I'm not at liberty to discuss the details with anyone except Gabriel Agreste. Is he available or not? It is an emergency."

Nathalie's heart raced. An emergency? Adrien? She shook off her nerves, "I understand. I will send your call through to his private office."

"Thank you."

Nathalie pressed the intercom and Gabriel's stern voice answered, "What is it?"

"An emergency call, Sir. They were adamant they speak to you." She reported.

"Fine." He huffed.

Nathalie transferred the call, and returned to her work finishing replying to all of the emails that had come through in the last hour.

88888888

Gabriel picked up the phone, "Gabriel Agreste. What do you want?"

"Yes." A female voice breathed, "Are you the parent and next of kin for Adrien Agreste?"

"Why?" Gabriel scowled.

"Sir, your son has been shot and severely injured in a police testing accident. He is being treated at Central Hospital. Can you come in so we can get some information from you?"

Gabriel scoffed, "That disgrace is no son of mine. He made his choice and made his stance clear. I don't have time for his games or his mistakes. It's not my problem if he was dumb enough to get himself injured. You'll have to find someone else to care for him. Good day." Gabriel hung up the phone with a slam.

88888888

The nurse stuttered, "Monsieur Agreste please this is very important and I…" she sighed. He had already hung up on her. She spun in her chair and looked at the doctor, "His father has refused. Send him into the operating room and get that bullet out of him."

The doctor hesitated, "He needs someone. Who brought him here? Do they know someone we can call?"

The nurse sighed, "I'll solve that problem. For now, get him taken care of. He doesn't need to be in pain any longer than necessary."

The doctor nodded, "Agreed. I'll send him in right away."

The nurse stood up from the desk and walked over to the small group of officers who were gathered in the waiting area. She smiled, "Hello. My name is Ann. May I ask who brought the patient in?"

A tall officer with brown hair jumped up and looked at her earnestly, "It was me. I drove him here. Is he going to be alright? What's happening?"

Ann held up her hands, "As soon as I know anything I'll tell you. But for now all I know is that he's headed into surgery right now. I need some information."

"Anything." The officer offered.

"Does he have any next of kin or anyone that can come and represent him? If not one of you will have to do it." She hummed.

Another officer with long blonde hair and striking brown eyes stood up, "Adrien has been disowned. He doesn't have any family. All he has is us, and a family that he hangs out with after work. The ones from the bakery."

Ann brightened, "Do you know their information? It's better if we can have someone that is outside of the situation for legal purposes."

The girl stammered. The officer from before hummed, "I know where we can find them but I don't have a number."

"Are they close?"

"I could be there in twenty minutes." He offered.

Ann thought for a moment, "Yes that will be just fine. He should be in surgery for awhile. So, as long as you can get them here quickly that should be alright."

He saluted her, "Yes ma'am." He turned and dashed out the doors.

Ann looked at the girl, "Disowned, huh? At his age? That can't be easy."

The girl sighed, "It's actually really sad. But he wouldn't want us talking about it. He doesn't like to dwell ya know? Though it must make it hard for you to help him."

Ann shrugged, "This is a place of healing. We help everyone. But it's nice when there is someone close to them to help them and care for them. It is also important that we have someone to contact if there are any complications or if something happens to him."

The officers all looked glum, and Ann sighed.

"Other times, I mean, you've had injuries like this before? How bad is it? Is he going to be okay?" A smaller, scrawnier officer asked.

Ann smiled, "If you're asking if I think he's going to die, then no. I don't think he's going to die. But there are a number of other complications that could happen. But," she offered before they asked her more questions, "I don't know anything right now. It might be a long wait, but you are welcome to wait."

They all looked a little more sullen. Ann frowned a little and made her way back to her desk to continue making calls and sending orders around the hospital. Hopefully the handsome officer came back with someone she could give the disowned, injured, baby officer to. If they didn't come for him, then he would have to be assigned a case manager.

88888888

The door of the bakery cafe slammed open, making Marinette jump and she turned around to see Antoni breathing heavy. He heaved a few more breaths before he smiled at her, "It's an emergency. Adrien," He sighed, trying to catch his breath.

Marinette jumped over the counter, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't the spotted hero of Paris all the time and raced to Antoni, "What? What is it?"

Antoni took a deep breath, "He had his gun certification today, and one of the other trainees misfired their gun and Adrien got hit. His father won't answer the hospital's phone calls. They need someone to come and represent him."

Marinette's blood ran cold. Adrien had been shot. She felt the world spin for a moment while her mind processed what was happening. She shot a look at Antoni, "Why can't you help him? If he got hurt during training isn't that something you can help with?" She asked panicky.

Antoni stood up, "I need to work out. That run was way harder than it should have been." He returned Marinette's worried look, "Because it's a work accident we can be there, but we can't speak for him medically. It would be a legal loophole. Obviously we aren't going to try to avoid helping him or dodging responsibility, but the hospital won't accept our word. They need someone else."

Marinette's mind raced. She looked at Antoni, "Understood. Wait here. I'll get my parents and a car and we'll drive you back. She moved around Antoni and shut the bakery door and flipped the sign from open to closed, locking the door as she did. She turned and flipped off the lights as she ran up the stairs.

"Mama! Papa! We have to go. Adrien's been shot. He needs a medical proxy, and his father has disowned him." She breathed as she crashed into the living room where her parents were talking about expenses.

Tom jumped up, "What? Where is he?"

Sabine put her hands on her face, "Oh dear."

"Come on, Officer Antoni is here. He can give us directions."

Tom and Sabine scrambled for their coats and keys and Marinette pulled on her own coat and they dashed back down the stairs. Marinette crashed back into the bakery and grabbed Antoni by the hand, "Let's go."

The four of them piled into the small Dupain-Cheng car, and Antoni leaned forward from the back seat, "He's at Central Hospital. The entrance to the Emergency Room is on the north side."

Tom nodded and raced towards the hospital. As they rounded the corner, Antoni smiled, "You guys go in. I'll park the car and bring you the keys."

Marinette looked at Antoni with worried eyes, "Thank you."

Antoni nodded.

88888888

The car stopped and Marinette jumped out of the car with speed that only came from being a superhero and raced through the doors and slammed into the front desk, her long hair sweeping forward over her shoulders. She huffed, her eyes starting to water.

"Please. I'm here for Adrien Agreste. Where is he? Is he okay?" She pleaded.

The nurse behind the desk blinked, and looked up at Marinette, "Slow down, darling. What's your name?"

Marinette swallowed, "Marinette. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Please. Officer Antoni just showed up at my house and said that Adrien had been shot. Tell me he's okay."

Tom and Sabine ran through the door and stood behind Marinette.

The nurse made a skeptical face, "Are you his family?"

Marinette sucked in a breath and tried to calm her beating heart, "No. His mother is gone and his father disowned him. Antoni said it can't be an officer, he doesn't have anyone else."

Antoni appeared next to her and leaned on the counter, "This is them, Ann. This is the family I told you about."

Ann sighed, "Wonderful. I don't have to assign him a case manager." She smiled up at Marinette, "Don't worry too much. He's still in surgery, and we haven't had any news that he's not going to make it. We won't know the full scale of his injury or the extent of the damages until he's out of surgery, but he was awake and talking when he sent him in."

Marinette visibly relaxed, "Thank God. What can we do?"

Ann offered a kinder smiled, "All you can do right now is wait. Once he comes out of surgery we'll fill you in on what's going to happen next. His recovery will depend on how severe the injury is. Until then, feel free to get some food from the cafeteria or a drink from vending machine on us. Just relax, we'll keep you updated."

Marinette slumped a little, "Okay."

Ann looked past her to her parents, "Are you with them?" She gestured to Marinette and the pack of officers.

Sabine nodded, and Tom stepped forward, "My name is Tom Dupain-Cheng, and I'm Marinette's father. This is my wife Sabine. What can we do?"

Ann looked at Marinette, "Have a seat. I'll have your parents help me with the paperwork."

Tom put his hand on Marinette's shoulder, "It's okay Mon Chou, we'll take care of it. You just relax and it'll be alright."

Marinette nodded and made her way to the chairs with the other officers in training, and sat down slowly, smoothing the wrinkles of her jeans. She took a deep breath and slumped in the chair. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

"So you're Marinette, huh?" A handsome young trainee with slick black hair leaned over and smiled at Marinette.

Marinette's eyes flew open, "Excuse me?"

"Adrien talks about you. It's nice to meet you in real life. My name is Bellamy, but you can call me Lam." Bellamy lowered his eyelids at her.

Marinette smiled a relieved smile, "It's nice to meet you too, Lam. I've heard good things about you. You're a good friend."

Bellamy smiled, "Well, I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't introduce you to Rondel as well. He's a bit of a stick in the mud, but he's pretty alright under his cold, calculating eyes." he gestured to the boy sitting next to him with a book spread across his lap.

Rondel huffed.

Marinette snickered.

Bellamy looked at Marinette with a soft smile, "We're all in this together. We're here for Adrien, and we're here for you too. Thanks for taking care of him."

Marinette smirked, "Same to you, Bellamy."

Bellamy frowned, "It's Lam."