Okay! Marinette and Adrien are FINALLY gonna talk in this chapter! But let's just say this isn't without its bumps in the road. And when they DO talk, what will happen between them?


By the time Marinette had finished all of her homework, the moon was fully out, and the sky was getting darker.

She decided she needed a break and decided to go downstairs to play some Ultimate Mecha Strike XXIII with her dad.

"Dad, I'm done in my room! Wanna play some..." Marinette asked as she came down, only to her living quarters were empty.

"Marinette!" Sabine said as she ran upstairs to talk to Marinette.

"Mom, what's going on?" Marinette asked.

"We've got a last minute rush order! And we're low on some of the ingredients!" Sabine said as she handed Marinette a list and the money necessary. "We need you to head to the store to get what we need! Think you can do that?"

"Sure thing, mom!" Marinette said as she took the money and the list before dashing out the door of the bakery to go to the store.

Back with Adrien, he was riding in the car to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, hoping against all odds that her parents would let him see her so he could apologize. He had the bouquet of flowers in hand, wearing the scarf Marinette made for him, and was he was quietly muttering a mantra to himself feel better.

As the car pulled up to the bakery, Adrien took a deep breath. He looked out of the window and saw the lights were still on. Taking a chance, he got out of the car, and with the flowers in hand, walked up to the bakery.

He fiddled with his hood so he could keep his scar-covered face hidden. He walked into the bakery, making the bell ring.

"I'm sorry, we're closed... Oh, Adrien!" Sabine said as she was mixing some batter.

"Hi, Mme. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien shyly greeted. "I'm sorry for turning up this late."

"It's okay, but it's a bit busy in here right now," Sabine said to him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Um... Is Marinette here?" Adrien asked. "I... I need to talk to her... I owe her an apology."

"Well, she has been pretty down since your birthday," Sabine admitted. "And she won't talk about why."

"That's what I'm here about," Adrien confessed. "I want to apologize. I... Hadn't meant to scare her."

"Scare her?" Sabine questioned.

"I don't feel comfortable talking to anyone other than Marinette about this," Adrien admitted. "I... Anyway, is she here?"

"We had to send her out for an ingredient run." Sabine explained as she kept mixing the batter.

Adrien went rigid and asked, "Wait, you sent her out for ingredients?"

"Yes." Sabine assured.

"This late at night? Alone?" Adrien asked, feeling a little anxious for some reason.

"It's not the first time she's done ingredient runs for us, Adrien." Sabine reassured.

That didn't help Adrien feel any better. Truthfully, he felt sense of dread well up in his stomach and he asked, "What grocery store did you send her to?"

When Sabine told him the address, Adrien turned on his heel and ran back to the car, while saying, "I'll go get her!"

In his haste, Adrien dropped the flowers and stepped on them, but he didn't care. He had to find Marinette!

The aforementioned girl stepped out of the local grocery store, her arms filled with paper bags with the ingredients on her parents' list. She also had leftover cash in her pockets to give back to them.

"Okay, now to get home." Marinette said as she started on a light jog to go back home.

As she passed by an alley, she wasn't aware she wasn't alone. She felt herself get grabbed from behind and she screamed, dropping all the groceries on the ground. The containers spilled out of the bags, but nothing ruptured.

She was pushed up against the wall, and when she looked up, she saw three taller boys, possibly a few years older than her, looking very disheveled, red-faced, and looking at her like she was a piece of meat.

"Hey, lookit da cute little girl." One of them said, his words slurring and his breath having the stench of alcohol on it. Marinette gagged at the smell.

"Pretty woman, where'd you think yer going this late?" The second one asked.

Marinette looked at them and she swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked around to see if she could try finding something to fend them off, but nothing jumped out at her.

"Well, since you ain't answerin' whatdya say you keep up company fer a while?" The third one questioned.

"Um, NO! My parents need me," Marinette said as she tried to push them away. "And YOU made me drop the ingredients! If anything breaks, you owe me!"

She ducked under one of their arms to try and escape, but she was grabbed by the arm and once again pushed up against the wall, this time harder. One of the guys grabbed her other arm, and he breathed out, "You will be keeping us company, chérie!"

"I'll do nothing of the sort!" Marinette screamed as she kneed him in the balls before ducking to get away. But yet again, she was grabbed and forced against the wall.

"Come on, take your shirt off, honey!" The third of the guys ordered.

"NO MEANS NO, FILTH!" Marinette screamed again.

As all three men came in closer to try and force themselves on Marinette, they grabbed at her shirt and made to rip it off while one of the tried getting at her pants.

"Now, let us see that little pussy you have." The drunken leader slurred.

"STOP IT, STOP IT!" Marinette hollered. "HELP!"

She tried forcing herself away, but her blazer was ripped off to reveal her shirt was sleeveless. Two of her assailants lifted her arms above her head and made to take her shirt off to begin caressing her breasts and bust when...

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A voice shouted, and the group turned to see Adrien at the front of the alley. It was too dark for the drunkards to see him, but Marinette recognized his voice anywhere.

Even in the dim light, she could see the look in his eyes: it was feral and murderous.

"Adrien..." Marinette said hoarsely. All the screaming left her throat raw.

"Who do you think you are, punk? Can't you see we got a woman to give the works?" The drunkards' leader asked.

"Hey, I never said I wanted this, you cretins!" Marinette shouted.

"You heard her! Back off, or I'll get rough." Adrien said as he approached, his hands still in his pockets.

"Oh yeah? There's three of us and one of you! You think you can take us?" The second of the men said.

"I don't think - I know I can take you down." Adrien said as he put his hands up in a fighting stance.

The three men charged at Adrien, but they were clearly unbalanced on their feet. Adrien did an axe kick at the first one before doing a chop on the second one's head. He did a reverse roundhouse kick as the third of the group tried to attack. With every move they made, Adrien countered with another punch, kick, or evasive maneuver, like he'd been fighting forever. One of the goons got up and charged at him, but Adrien did a sweep kick to knock him off his feet, sending him flying.

Marinette continued watching as she slumped down on the ground onto her knees. She started crying into her hands.

Adrien was distracted by her cries for a second, only for the leader of the goons to tackle him to the ground. His hood got knocked down and revealed his face. The goons, while still clearly drunk, gasped at the sight of Adrien's scars.

"Whoa, man..." "Ugh..." "That's nasty!" "Let's get out of here!"

Adrien sat up, groaning in pain from the impact. He heard Marinette's crying from behind him. He rose to his feet, turned around, and he came closer. Seeing her so upset, Adrien gently pulled her closer, while murmuring, "You're okay... You're safe."

Marinette tried to calm her breathing and she said, "T-Thank... T-Thank you."

Adrien helped her stand up and said, "Let's go."

"Go?" Marinette asked.

"Back to the car." Adrien explained as he hugged her by the shoulders and slowly brought her to the car, letting her go at her own pace.


On the way back to Adrien's home, Adrien was holding onto Marinette's phone. Since her state of mind was too fragile to do it, she had Adrien call her parents to give them a summary of what happened.

"...So, you're okay with her staying over at my place tonight?" Adrien asked.

"Yes, so long as you don't do anything that makes her uncomfortable, especially since she sounds like she's still shaken up," Tom warned. "Thank you for saving her."

"It's the least I could do," Adrien told him. "...She's been so good to me."

"Good. We'll handle the grocery run from here," Tom said. "As for Marinette, no more late-night grocery runs for her unless she has tools to defend herself! We should've sent her with pepper spray or brass knuckles, or something!"

"She held her own, but she was outnumbered." Adrien confessed.

"Either way, she's safe and out of harm's way now, thanks to you," Tom praised, and Adrien chuckled. "Make sure you bring her home in the morning."

"Yes, sir." Adrien said before hanging up.

Marinette looked up at him and saw that he kept his hood down. After seeing his scars once before, including the ones on his body, she wasn't so surprised at them now. The fact he had his hood down in front of her made her feel warm inside for some reason. She also noticed he was wearing her scarf, and while it got a bit dirty from the fight, he didn't seem to care. He was looking at her with relief, care, and tenderness.

He reached for her forearms, but hesitated, wondering if he was crossing any lines. Marinette scooted closer and let him hold on to her.

Adrien pulled her closer and hugged her, saying to her in a low, soothing whisper, "Thank goodness that you're okay. Seeing those guys get in your space really had me scared. Not to mention angry."

Marinette felt her heart pound and her face flush as she leaned her head into his chest. She started crying, letting all the stress and fear out. Adrien gently rubbed her head with his hand as he let her cry. He also let an understanding, loving smile come upon his face as he kissed her forehead. Marinette felt her heart skip a beat at the sensation, but she was too worked up from the experience to care or notice.

When they arrived at the Agreste mansion, Adrien brought Marinette in, supporting her with his arm around her waist.

"Adrien, what on Earth...?" Nathalie began, shocked at the sight of the roughed-up young lady. She didn't bother pointing out Adrien's face being exposed.

"Don't ask," Adrien stated. "Think you can bring Marinette to one of the guest bathrooms?"

Nathalie began to protest, "Your father wouldn't want-"

"Doesn't matter what my father wants," Adrien cut in. "I'm eighteen. I don't need his consent for anything."

Nathalie took a deep breath before saying, "Understood. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, please follow me."

Adrien let go of her waist and gently asked, "Can you walk?"

"I'm good." Marinette said as she began to follow Nathalie.

"I'll wait for you in my room when you're done, okay?" Adrien called.

"Thank you." Marinette said as she kept following Nathalie up the stairs.

After a few moments of silence, Nathalie brought Marinette to a spare bathroom and said, "You can have your bath in here. There are bathrobes and towels in there."

"Thank you." Marinette said as she stepped into the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it. She took out her pigtails.

She looked around at the luxurious, yet reasonably-sized space. The tiles were black and white while the tub/shower was marble and there were black/white towels hanging on the rack. She saw the varieties of soaps and shampoos in the closet and the bathrobes provided.

Marinette took out a cherry-blossom soap set before stepping in and turning on the hot water. Letting the soothing fluid wash over her skin, she felt all the tension in her body flush out.

As she washed herself with the soaps, the sight of Adrien's face went through her mind. But instead of being grossed out or scared by the scars, she just saw them as... Well, normal. His normal. While curious about what caused the scars, she knew it wasn't a good idea to ask.

After everything that transpired, she was afraid he wouldn't want to see her again. But he saved her from an uncertain fate, and she couldn't express how grateful she was for him.

'I... I can't tell him how thankful I am... If not for him, I could've been robbed, raped, maybe both and then killed...' Marinette thought as her relieved tears mixed with the shower water.

Her smile grew, and as she used a sponge sick to wash up, she thought, 'I hope he isn't angry at me for what I did...'

After finishing her shower, Nathalie escorted Marinette to Adrien's bedroom.

"Adrien shall be in here. I'll prepare a spare bedroom for you for tonight." Nathalie said.

"Thank you." Marinette said as she opened the door and went inside.

She saw Adrien had also gotten out of the shower, and was wearing pajama pants, but his top body was bare. He was rubbing his hair with his towel.

"Hi, Marinette." Adrien said as he saw her come in.

"Hi, Adrien..." Marinette greeted back as she got shy. Her face went red.

As he put the towel down on the couch, he gave her a smile and he walked over to the bed before sitting down. He pulled his legs up on, one bent up closer to his chest.

"Come here." Adrien said to her.

"Um, "Come here"?!" Marinette gasped as she got red and backed off. "Wh-What do you mean?! What do you plan on doing?!"

Adrien laughed a little before pulling out a first aid kit from behind him. Marinette sighed in relief, wiping her forehead as she came over to the bed and sat down.

Marinette held still as Adrien treated her wounds with the antiseptic wipes before putting bandages on her hands, arms, and cheeks. He pulled back as he looked at his handiwork. He smiled, relieved, but then his face fell.

"I..." Adrien began, a bit awkwardly. Marinette looked up at him.

"Yes?" Marinette asked.

"I... I'm sorry." Adrien said to her.

"For what?" Marinette questioned, her brows quirking in confusion.

"For what happened on my birthday. I... I shouldn't have flipped out on you like that." Adrien confessed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Marinette said, "Adrien, I'm the one who came in uninvited."

"You knocked. I'm the idiot that forgot to lock the door!" Adrien insisted.

Realizing she wasn't going to win this argument, Marinette sighed. She saw that her scarf was hanging on the coat rack nearby.

Thinking a change of subject would make things better, she turned back to Adrien and said, "...I... I saw you were wearing my scarf."

"Of course I was," Adrien said with a laugh and a blush on his cheeks. "You made it for me. It's the first true birthday present I've gotten in years."

Marinette looked at him in surprise as she felt better. She confessed, "Earlier, when those guys cornered me, I... I was so scared."

"I don't blame you," Adrien said, crossing his legs on the bed. "That'd be scary for anyone."

"That's never happened to me before." Marinette added.

"Really? But your parents said that you've done late night grocery runs like that in the past?" Adrien asked.

"That's true... But I guess without any defense tools, I was left a sitting duck." Marinette suggested.

"I'm just glad I found you when I did. It wouldn't have happened if I was there sooner, and if I hadn't been acting like such a coward and not facing you earlier." Adrien said, blaming himself again as he hung his head.

'Oh, Adrien...' Marinette thought as she looked at him with a sad expression.

"But I want you to tell me the truth, Marinette: have Chloé, Lila, or Sabrina tried anything that severe?" Adrien asked after lifting his head up.

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked.

Adrien looked at her, his body language all but begging for an answer.

Marinette sighed, deciding to confess to him.

"Well, yes... There was one time where Chloé abused the emergency line to get out of a Home Ec class and didn't face any legal consequences for it, and there was another incident where she tried to copy one of my hat designs for a contest! Luckily I had methods to prove I was the original designer," Marinette admitted. "As for Lila, there was one time she tried to frame me for theft and academic dishonesty! If not for Alya finding evidence to the contrary, I would've been expelled from school! Lila lied her way out of punishment, though. As for Sabrina... Truth is, when she's alone, out of Chloé's reach, she's harmless and doesn't do anything mean... I don't understand why Chloé and Lila have it out for me. All I've ever done with either of them was try to stand up for what was right."

"Well, they obviously don't know a true princess when they meet one. Especially one like you." Adrien said, a tease in his tone.

Marinette felt heat rise to her cheeks, and looked back at him and she could swear he was smiling, but she wasn't sure what emotion was behind that smile. Marinette rolled her eyes before looking away.

"...Why do you call me "Princess" all the time?" Marinette asked, still refusing to look him in the eyes.

"Because you are one," Adrien said as he held her hands in his own, causing her heart to skip a beat. She couldn't see his face in full, but she could tell he seemed a bit nervous. "You... You're beautiful, in a way that's natural, the kind of beauty that comes from the inside out. Even after I was such a jackass to you, you still did your best to work with me on the history project and show me kindness... Kindness that you show everyone else, no matter what."

"What about Chloé?" Marinette asked, raising an unconvinced brow. "You're her friend, aren't you?"

"Was her friend," He scoffed, a scowl on his face. "I told her once before she either had to shape up or ship out. The last straw was when she pulled some pretty nasty stuff, hijacking a film that Zoé was going to star in and practically ruining it. I had to get my father to intervene and get the movie back on track. I wasn't going to be her friend if she kept up that kind of shit, especially because she didn't stop."

"I should've expected that," Marinette said. "She's a complete bitch to everyone."

Adrien nodded in solemn agreement, saying, "But you... You're not like that. You take charge in group situations. You're great at delegating and knowing who's right for what role. I saw those designs in your book, and that hat you made for Juleka was amazing. I can honestly say that if my father sees your stuff and doesn't think you're talented, he needs a head examination."

Marinette blushed in response, and while holding back a laugh, she said, "Thank you."

"I... I honestly didn't want you to see this side of me," Adrien said, his expression becoming depressed as he gestured to his face. "This... This ugliness that I've been hiding. I'm no handsome prince of a model anymore. The fact that you reached out... Helped me get a circle of friends... I didn't want to ruin things between us by scaring you with this face."

"It wasn't your face that scared me. I mean, yes, it freaked me out for a second, but... What really scared me was your reaction to me seeing the scars," Marinette assured him. "That and whatever caused them. I was thinking, "Who the hell would want to hurt Adrien?" and my mind went blank. But... I was worried you wanted nothing to do with me after what happened."

He looked at her like she'd said one of the stupidest things in the world.

"You treat me like a human being, bring me a homemade birthday present, you don't ask me any questions about this," Adrien said while gesturing to his face. "And you think I want nothing to do with you? Marinette, I was afraid that after scaring you, you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

Marinette gave him a smile before saying, "You know... I think our relationship, up to this point, has been defined mainly by misunderstandings, miscommunications, and wrong assumptions about one another. I thought that you were a total prick when we first met."

Adrien gave a sardonic chuckle before saying, "I won't lie, I am a prick, but..."

"But nothing! You act like one, but I think a lot of that is just an emotional defense mechanism due to your grief." Marinette told him.

Adrien looked at her in surprise before a small smile began to crawl upon his face.

"And... Something tells me that you weren't always like this." Marinette said as she gently reached her hand out to his facial scar. She hesitated, though. Would he tolerate her touch on his scar?

Adrien surprised her by taking her hand and placing it on his scar, before giving her a passionate look combined with a sad, guilty smile.

"You do me too much honor, Princess," He said to her before pulling her hand down and kissing the back of it. "Much too much honor."

Marinette, who used to hate the nickname, smiled at him as she took her hand back. Her eyes fell to the bed again.

It was a long moment of silence between them. Marinette was relieved that they made up, and she was also happy that Adrien didn't hate her after seeing his scars.

"...Je'taime." Adrien said suddenly, causing Marinette to look up at him with a gasp. Adrien was looking at her with a serious, albeit shy expression that was engulfed with the flames of romantic desire. He wasn't looking away from her.

Marinette's eyes widened as what Adrien said sunk in. For several seconds (maybe close to two minutes) they just looked at each other in complete silence, Marinette in shock, Adrien in certainty.

"...What...?" Marinette asked in a whisper.

Adrien, refusing to look away, shrugged and repeated to her more meaningfully, "Je'taime."

Hearing that, Marinette felt her heart thump, her stomach and lower body tensed with an indescribable (albeit pleasant) sensation, and she slumped down, sitting on the back of her legs and supporting her body with her hands on the bed. Her face went red.

Adrien got on his knees on the bed and crawled over to her. Marinette, still paralyzed, didn't (or rather, couldn't) object.

"A... Adrien..." Marinette began, her voice above a whisper, just as Adrien took a thumb and finger to her chin, and rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb.

Marinette looked at him, and saw he had an impassioned, desiring expression, and his eyes were slowly examining her face before landing on her lips. His face was slowly inching closer towards hers, and his lips were beginning to purse.

Marinette, anxious, tried to put a hand up and say, "Hang on a second..."

Adrien used his free hand to gently take her wrist and move it back onto the bed, continuing to slowly close the distance between them as he kept rubbing her lips with his thumb.

"Adrien, please, shouldn't we slow down or..." Marinette began to protest, looking away, only for Adrien to gently redirect her face to look at him.

"No... I'm done waiting," Adrien said, his voice low and husky. "Please... Please let me do this."

Marinette saw it in his eyes: Adrien was starving for love and affection. He wanted it, he wasn't going to stop until he got it, and the only thing holding him back was Marinette's indecision.

Marinette felt her heart throb at this revelation, at how desperate he sounded. His heartfelt request made her pause for a little bit. Her eyes went askance for a second as she thought it over.

It wasn't like she didn't like Adrien. There was more, and she knew it. Like her inner voice told her, she liked Adrien the same way she liked Luka, if not more. She didn't feel unsafe in Adrien's presence in that moment. While she was afraid on his birthday, she was afraid for him as opposed to of him.

The sound of his "Je'taime" rang in her ears like wind chimes, and she felt her heart pound, her face flush a little, and she felt Adrien's sincerity, gentleness, and care wrap around her like a warm, woolen blanket.

And... The idea of letting him kiss her wasn't objectionable. At all.

'Well... If it's just the one...' Marinette thought before looking back into Adrien's eyes.

She gave him a nod. He didn't waste any time.

He softly placed his lips onto hers, his eyes closing, and tilting his head for better access. Marinette's closed hand was shaking, but it soon relaxed and opened up as her arm fell to the bed. Feeling hot and heavy, her heart going a million beats per minute, and her face heating up, she wondered... Had she been wanting this as much as he did?

Adrien tangled his free hand in her hair, rubbing the strands between his fingers. After getting the sensation of her silky, clean hair in his hand, he wrapped his arm around her waist as he continued his kiss. After about thirty seconds, he went a little deeper with it, loosing a passionate moan. He didn't dare use his tongue to ask for entrance into her mouth.

Instead, as gently as he started it, he just as gently ended it, slowly pulling away and looking at the girl in his single-armed embrace. Marinette's eyes were facing his chest, she was looking dazed, her face was red as an apple, and her hands were about to land on his pectoral muscles.

Adrien put his other arm around her, pulling her closer. He looked down at her face, and saw how flushed it was.

"You okay?" He asked with a chuckle. "You're as red as a ladybug."

Marinette looked up at him, saw his cheeks were also red, and she said, "Um... Well, you're blushing, too. Like a giant strawberry!"

Adrien gave her a smile as he rubbed the back of his neck in his usual nervous manner.

"I-um... I should get to bed now," Marinette said as she pulled away. She leaped off the bed. "Nathalie said she was going to get a room ready for me!"

As Marinette ran for the door, Adrien steeled his nerves and said loudly, "Marinette!"

Marinette, about to open the door and leave, turned to Adrien, who was looking at her with a dead serious look on his face. While still bright red, she asked, "Yes?"

"I'm not joking," Adrien said, not moving from his spot. "Je'taime. So... Don't disregard that, okay?"

Marinette gave a silent nod before leaving the bedroom. Adrien looked at the door, almost hoping she'd come back in, but he let out a calm, relaxed breath of air before smiling at the door. He laid down on the bed, once again sighing in content, and he closed his eyes, a peaceful smile on his face.

Marinette, who was leaning against the door, was red in the face and her eyes were still blown wide.

'He... He loves me?!' Marinette thought, her heart pounding. She touched her fingers to her lips and felt the heat. 'D... Does he really mean it?'

When she was brought to the provided bedroom, she laid on the bed on her stomach. The events of the evening, starting from Adrien coming to her rescue up to that evening's kiss, played out in her mind like a movie.

If he hated her, he wouldn't have intervened and saved her. Or maybe he would've saved her and then just sent her on her way. But he brought her back to his home and saw to it she was taken care of. He even kissed her!

Adrien... He looked so embarrassed and ashamed of himself. The guilt was palpable. But Marinette felt like that the only thing he should be kicking himself over was his behavior towards her on his birthday, not his scars.

She decided it was better to talk about it in the morning. She just let the Sandman do his job and put her under his sleep spell for the evening. In her dreams, blonde hair and green eyes followed her everywhere. The kiss and his declaration of "Je'taime" replayed in her mind on a loop, and she couldn't think of anything else. Her heart was pounding, feeling comforted and safe.

The following morning, instead of eating breakfast at the Agreste Mansion, they decided to go to Marinette's place to eat instead. Adrien justified it to Nathalie by saying that he'd feel safer showing her parents she was okay. Marinette also had a hunch he wasn't comfortable having Marinette in the house for breakfast, more for her sake than anything.

They rode in the car in silence, Adrien refusing to let go of her hand or tear his loving, enamored eyes away from her. Again, he had his hood down, showing her his face.

She was returning his expression, and she asked, "Adrien...?"

"Yes?" Adrien responded.

"You... Did you really mean it last night?" Marinette asked, her face going red. "That... That you love me?"

"Of course I meant it," Adrien said as he pulled her closer and hugged her. "I can't imagine falling in love with anyone else. Hell, I wouldn't let my hood down for anyone else."

"...Why me, though?" Marinette questioned.

"You still need a reason to believe me, even after that kiss and my spiel last night?" Adrien gently asked, a little annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "Who was the one who helped me make friends? The one who made me a homemade present? The one who kept my scars and my mother's passing on the DL without me even asking? The one who makes me feel so happy, so safe... The one who makes me feel like my life means something?"

Marinette felt hot, happy tears pricking at her eyes.

"You know the answer. Say it." Adrien pleaded.

"...It was me. All me." Marinette said as she hugged him back.

"That's right," Adrien said, his voice above a whisper. "You. Only you."

Marinette let her tears of joy fall from her face, and she didn't resist when Adrien began kissing those tears away. Her heart pounded.

When the car parked in front of the bakery, Adrien put his hood back up. He once again played the gentleman, got out of the car, and escorted Marinette inside the bakery. Her parents were finishing the morning's work to take a break for breakfast.

"Good morning, M. and Mme Dupain-Cheng," Adrien said as he held Marinette's hand. "Home safe and sound, like I promised."

Tom and Sabine looked at Marinette in relief, before Sabine said, "Thank goodness."

Tom noticed the two of them holding hands and he grew a big smile on his face.

"You two made up?!" Tom asked in delight.

"More than that, sir," Adrien said. He planted another kiss on Marinette's cheek, causing her to blush. "I... I know this is probably a little too traditional, but I... I'd like your consent to go out with your daug-"

"Of course you can date our daughter!" Tom said in joy. "You saved her from an attack, you two are already close, so why not? Just promise me you'll treat her right!"

"I promise, sir!" Adrien said, saluting.

Marinette blushed harder as she laughed and said, "Dad, I think that's enough..."

"Have you two eaten?" Sabine asked just as Adrien's stomach growled. "Please, come in and let's enjoy a nice breakfast! All four of us."

Adrien smiled under the shadow of his hood. Marinette smiled in response as Adrien squeezed her hand closer to him.

They went upstairs to eat, and Adrien was in for a pleasant surprise. There was a huge spread of food on the table, all classics in France. Croissants, pain au chocolat, Croque Madame, etc. The sight of it had Adrien drooling.

He quickly took his seat at the table next to Marinette, and the four of them began eating the food.

Adrien took a bite of the croque madame and he moaned in bliss, saying, "Wow! Is this iberico ham with parmesan?"

"Yes, it is! It's amazing that you can tell." Tom said.

"I've eaten some nice food, but this takes the cake," Adrien said as he took a drink of orange juice to wash down the food, then took a humongous bite of pain au chocolat. "No wonder your bakery is a success! This is good!"

"Thank you, Adrien," Sabine said as she looked at his hood. "Now, why don't you let your hood down? I wanna see the face of our daughter's hero."

Blush notwithstanding, Adrien stiffened as he started chewing slowly again. Marinette gave her mother the "cut it out" gesture that Dave Coulier coined. Sabine got the hint and nodded.

As the quartet continued eating, Marinette noticed Adrien was scarfing his food down like a starved kitten. He'd eaten three croque madame and several pain au chocolat within the span of ten minutes.

It didn't take long for Adrien to lounge on the chair, patting a satisfied stomach, and smiling. Crumbs were all over his mouth.

"Man! Best. Breakfast. Ever!" Adrien said, covering his mouth as he let out a pretty loud burp.

Everyone in the room laughed.

"Glad you liked it, son," Tom said. "You're welcome over here for food any time."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Adrien said as he sat up. "Besides, I-"

"No protesting, young man," Sabine said sternly as she crossed her arms. "I can't tell very well under your clothes, but you look like you hardly eat in general."

"...Drawbacks of modeling, I guess." Adrien said, his tone getting sad.

"But you've retired from that, last I heard? Shouldn't you be allowed to eat a little more?" Tom asked.

"Long story." Adrien stated.

"A-Anyway, Adrien, what's on your schedule today?" Marinette asked, changing the subject.

Adrien quickly looked at his phone and said, "Well... I actually need to get home soon for piano lessons. If I can get some of these great pastries to go to give to my bodyguard, maybe I...?"

"Say no more." Sabine said as she quickly went downstairs to get a box.

"Listen, Adrien, you can come by whenever you need it. Just a safe, happy place to be," Tom offered. "It's the bare minimum of what you deserve for saving Marinette."

Adrien laughed before saying, "Thanks."

Marinette looked at him with joy as he seemed to be healing a little more.

After eating, Marinette brought Adrien back outside to his car to send him off. He handed the goodie box to his driver.

"Um, Marinette..." Adrien began.

"Yes?" Marinette asked.

Adrien squared his shoulders, turned around and took Marinette's hands into his own. He was red in the face.

"I know my timing could be better, but... I know your parents don't mind... And Lord only knows I couldn't care less about my father's opinion, but..." Adrien began, sounding a bit nervous. "I... Will you do me the honor of going out on a real date with me?"

Marinette smiled, her face red, and she said, "Yes. I'd love that."

Adrien chortled in delight, kissed Marinette's cheek once more, and said, "Great! I'll set it up and let you know the details! See you at school tomorrow!"

Marinette smiled, feeling her heart pound as Adrien got in the car, blew another kiss to Marinette, and he shut the door. The car drove off.

'Well, I'm glad we made up.' Marinette thought, before smiling and blushing.

Adrien, meanwhile, was lying against the car seat, and he heaved a satisfied, happy smile. He had a blush upon his face.

'Yes! I finally told her my feelings, and now...' Adrien thought, an anticipatory smile coming up on his face.

'I've got a date.' The two of them thought at the same time.


Okay! If you guys recognized it, a lot of the scenes here were Easter Eggs from this anime/manga series called "Boys Over Flowers", specifically episode 17 of the anime.

Coming up, Marinette and Adrien's first date! Their love for each other continues to grow, Adrien's mental state continues to get better, but something goes off the rails and a huge bomb gets dropped! What is it?

I already have the next chapter ready for posting, but I like spacing things out. Meanwhile, I'm taking a bit of a break from this story so I can figure out how the rest of the plot is going to go.