Author's note: I couldn't help myself. Here comes the follow-up to Building on Rubble. Thanks again for all reviews, etc.

/

"Rock n' roll."

Another strike is added to a mental list and a silent sigh is released as Nathalie realizes that she won't be the one taking the dishes to the chef this evening as she wins the bet.

Jagged Stone is ecstatic. He can be excitable at the best of times but today, these designs seem to have well and truly captivated something within the rock star. He practically dances around, hopping from one foot to the other as he contemplates the designs which are being presented to him by an amused, if somewhat timid young designer. Her cheeks are flushed with the praise. She tries her best to explain matters to the man. Thankfully, his assistant is the one taking the notes, she'll be able to explain things to him when he's calmed down a bit.

He's been like this for the past half hour. It's… Cute in a way. If only to see the reaction of the young woman, who at this point is practically his personal stylist. Despite the recognition that she already benefits from before she's even turned eighteen, she genuinely seems surprised to be receiving such praise. Smiling sweetly and looking away from time to time.

"This is crazy stuff Marinette! Super rock n' roll!"

Nine.

That's the last of the jackets she has to show him. It looks like yet another concert will be performed in an outfit designed by Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It takes a few minutes for the man's attention to drift away from the clothes and their creator and back to the others present in the room. It's time for the more practical aspects of the deal and hopefully future deals. The man comes down from his high so as to pay them some more attention. He relaxes into his chair, leaning backwards. He's one step away from resting his feet on the table, something he's done before.

"So which one of you two is dealing with the paperwork?"

"I am. For today." A pair of green eyes look up from a tablet.

"In training are we Adrien?"

The young man smiles in response to Penny's question. Unlike his mentor, he can't afford to take his eyes off of the screen for too long a period, otherwise he's certain to lose himself in the flow of information and statistics. He's comparatively relaxed, sitting there. By any standards, this is an informal meeting. They're all familiar enough with one another to know the ins and outs of their little unit which serves to run the company.

"You'd better watch out Nat." The rock star playfully declares turning towards the older woman. "Otherwise he'll have your job."

Nathalie shakes her head, bemused. It's probably best that Jagged Stone doesn't quite see the problem with her attempting to manage a titanic company such as Gabriel with only two teenagers for assistance. They might be some of the few people in the city who wouldn't care, for whom no smokescreen is required. Everyone can breathe easily and forget about the roles they are meant to play. That seems to suit all parties well enough.

The rock star and his agent are gone a short while later. They have other places to be. Jagged is already edging for some new shoes for his upcoming performance in California.

Once they've gone, Adrien hands her the tablet, allowing her to check his work. She's impressed, he's learning quickly. Not surprising, he's a smart lad. She doesn't congratulate him, a little smile is enough. He swells up with pride for a few moments, content that he's able to do something right. Nathalie flicks quickly through the information before turning her attention back towards the pair of teens standing before her.

It's still quite early in the morning but they'd had little choice other than to work around Jagged Stone's schedule. At least, they hadn't had to put up with the man playing guitar before eight in the morning or have to clean up more mess curtsy of his crocodile.

"Have you eaten Nathalie? I brought some croissants."

"No. I haven't." The woman answers Marinette's question honestly.

"She skips breakfast more often than she takes it." Adrien declares, prompting him to receive a cool glare from the woman. "What? You do!"

"Well, do you want some?"

The woman agrees. There aren't many souls who wouldn't want some viennoiseries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. They sit down for breakfast in the dinning room. The provisions brought by Marinette are bolstered by some of the supplies from the kitchen, namely some orange juice, chocolate milk and for the assistant some coffee. Plagg is not one to go without his Camembert. She reads a newspaper whilst the two teens chat and joke, going over the events of the morning and the many eccentricities of the rock star.

From time to time, Nathalie peers over the top of the paper if they're laughing especially loudly. Not because it bothers her but simply to see what the two of them could find so amusing. Sometimes, it's obvious and even the woman finds herself smiling. Others, it's obviously an inside joke and she doesn't quite understand. Either that or she's just not plugged into whatever is supposed to be amusing. It's happening increasingly as she gets older. These teenagers can be such strange creatures at times.

"Man, do you need my help at the office today?" Adrien asks her eventually.

"Where are you going?" Nathalie questions still not looking up from her paper.

"Huh?"

"You only ever ask me that if you're planning a get together." The woman eyes him and he doesn't deny it. "So where are you going?"

"Just to the park, we were going to meet Alya and Nino, this afternoon."

"Think you could take Macaroon with you?"

As if on cue, the fawn colored mutt who had up until that point being sitting down in the corner jumps up. It's droopy ears prick up right and eyes had been unblinking whilst the humans ate their food. He's quick to come over. It lets out a whine, aware that it's being talked about. Adrien pets the dog. He hears Nathalie tutting once disapprovingly, more out of exasperation than anything else. She's told him before about encouraging the animal to come up to the dining table and then worse actually touching it when he's about to eat. Unfortunately, it would seem that a big pair of dark brown eyes have more sway over the teen than his guardian's words.

"Shouldn't be a problem."

"Then of course you can go. It's just paperwork today at any rate."

He thanks her. They spend a little while chatting. Nathalie contents herself with listening for the most part. She doesn't have anything to add but finds pleasure in contemplating the warm smiles and gentle laughs of the youths.

Adrien eventually excuses himself, he takes the dirty dishes away to the kitchen where they will be cleaned up. Marinette and Nathalie watch as he leaves. He'll be gone for a minute or so. It's all that the two of them need. Still, the teen eyes the door cautiously so as to ensure that her boyfriend isn't about to return and is safely out of earshot. Tikki goes to ensure that he has left, she heads over to the door, giving a little nod.

"Any news from Gabriel?"

"Only that he wants the neckline of the spring dresses taken up by one and a half centimeters." Nathalie shakes her head.

"Seriously?!"

It's been three years but some things, it's clear Marinette will never be able to comprehend about the relationship between father and son. Whilst she hadn't exactly imagined that they would ever be that close, the fact that the two of them haven't exchanged a word in three years still shocks her. It doesn't need to be anything deep or meaningful but just a few sentences to let the other know that they still think about them. She knows that despite what he might claim and how hard Adrien might try to banish all thought of his parent from his mind, he does think about the man.

It would seem however that even a simple best wishes is too much for Gabriel to manage. Nathalie doesn't seem surprised. Whilst she'd typed up an email to the man, she had never held out much hope. The woman's terribly cynical at times:

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know!" The teen exclaims, exasperation with the whole thing evident. "It's Adrien's eighteenth birthday."

"Well they didn't exactly part on good terms." Nathalie is far more resigned to the reality. "Adrien doesn't just get his stubbornness from his mother you know."

"I guess it's not like he complains about never hearing from him."

The former assistant doesn't answer. In the three years since Gabriel officially moved to China and somewhat less officially was effectively exiled from the French capital by the miraculous holders, she's more or less taken over everything. From running the company finances, new releases, press conferences and raising the man's son. Although it's clear that she's tired and that the workload is a lot even by her standards, she doesn't even complain about things. The woman is a plough horse when it comes to this sort of thing. She'll keep on going regardless and still somehow finds time to write to her former employer to see if she can convince him to speak, just briefly to his son for the lad's eighteenth.

At least they tried. It won't be mentioned to Adrien least it upset him. Unlikely however, the teen scarcely ever mentions his absent parent these days.

He's back a moment later and they go about things naturally. Marinette goes home for lunch but promises to be back in the afternoon.

As the time draws near, the dog is already going nuts realizing that it's about to be taken for a walk. Adrien has a little backpack full of all the supplies he'll need to look after the animal, plus some cheese in case his kwami needs a snack. They bid the woman goodbye but don't specify a time that they'll be back.

As always, the first five minutes are as always hectic. Adrien struggles to avoid getting pulled clean off of his feet by his over-enthusiastic canine. Some more discipline is no doubt required on that front. Marinette laughs, listening to her boyfriend's protests and pleas as he tries to bring the dog back under some form of control. He registers as little more than a minor nuisance and is dragged along until eventually some of the pooch's excitement has dissipated. She's tried to walk the creature herself and to this day wonders just how her arm hadn't been torn clean off. Patience however means that they can walk side-by-side after a while.

It's a nice, if slightly cool early February day. The leaves are still absent from the trees and there's some leftover puddles in the drains and on the sidewalk from the rain which has been falling on the city throughout much of winter.

They meet Alya and Nino at the park. They're met with warm smiles and complaints about the chilly weather. Everyone is fed-up with the winter. They've sat through Christmas, New Year and now they are longing for the warmth and dryness of spring. So, they walk together as opposed to staying sat down. They still see each other regularly. Life choices have lead to them being in different schools and classes however. Alya, Marinette and Nino have opted for literary BACs whilst Adrien finds himself alone attempting an S. The same tension and challenges, different subjects.

"BAC blanc's in two weeks." Alya declares, as if they weren't all acutely aware of that fact.

"I know..." Marinette fidgets nervously just thinking about it. "I'm going to have to hit the books hard."

"You and me both." Adrien shakes his head, just thinking about it. "Third degree polynomials are a real nightmare!"

The baccalaureate or Bac is on the distant horizon. The practice exam known as the Bac blanc is coming up however. It will be a good insight into how they'll fare on the real day. It's nerve racking stuff and naturally all anyone in their age range can talk about at the moment. As a result, they try not to focus on it too much.

Instead they focus on the future. They'll be heading off to university and other future studies. Thankfully, all three of them have more or less planned things out. They've prepared their applications and know where they're going to be heading as long as everything works out for them. They talk about some of their friends, where they are now and where they're hoping to be. It's sad to think of their collège friends being separated but there's some sort of a notion that they might be able to organize some sort of a reunion eventually.

"How's Dylan?" Nino asks tentatively after a while.

"Oh… He's fine. He's finishing his training to become a mechanic."

Marinette's lie comes naturally to her. Adrien knows that she hates it. He's the one who indirectly put her in this position and as such, feels more than a passing amount of guilt. One day, maybe they'll be able to come clean but he doubts it. There's a portion of both of their lives which they're always going to have to conceal from the rest of the world.

The group stop off for a drink and the chance to warm up a bit. Adrien makes the most of his fame. Places which are typically dog-free look the other way when he brings Macaroon with him, in exchange for a photo with the young man on their premises. They can easily spend a whole day relaxing in one another's company. The group eventually heads for Marinette's, music and video games provide a pleasant distraction from the stresses of their school and private lives. As always, her parents are welcoming providing the teens with dinner.

It's quite late when Adrien makes it home. It's not uncommon for him to spend the whole day out. He's surprised that Nathalie isn't there to greet him. Perhaps she's gone to bed. The teen picks up a towel left by the entrance and uses to ensure that the dog is both dry and mud free. He locks the door, moving through the building quietly. Initially, the teen assumes that the woman must have gone to bed. It's only as he makes his way towards the stairs that he spots the light coming from underneath the door leading to the study.

He approaches cautiously. Sometimes, some late night (or early morning) phone calls are necessary in order to communicate with the company members working abroad. All is quiet however as he approaches the door. A quick peer inside confirms what he'd assumed.

He finds Nathalie sitting down in the chair that his father once occupied. Her head however rests on the desk. Adrien shakes his head amused by the not all that unfamiliar sight. Work's caught up with her again…

As he makes his way over to her, he spots her glasses on the table. It's hard to tell if she consciously removed them, deciding that she was going to close her eyes for a few moments or if they just slipped off of her nose when she lay down. The fact that she's still clutching her tablet makes him believe it was more likely to be the latter.

He reaches out and places a hand on her shoulder. Nathalie is a light sleeper, it takes little else to wake her up. She blinks a few times, clearly groggy. It takes her a few moments before she can gather her thoughts enough to look up to see him. Given how bad her vision is, Adrien assumes that he must be something of a blur to her. By the way that she's squinting, he's not entirely convinced that she's awake enough to realize that her spectacles aren't there any more.

Instead, he hands them back to her. She mouths a "thank you" and slips them on. Even now, she refuses to let go of the tablet. It takes the woman a few moments to pull herself together before she's awake enough to face him. She raises a dubious eyebrow and asks:

"What time do you call this?"

"Time for you to be in bed." Is the amused reply that she receives. Nathalie glances down at the tablet. Her eyes widen, genuinely startled by the late hour.

"Adrien you have class tomorrow!" The reminder is a comparatively stern one.

"I know but I wasn't about to let you spend the night out here again." The teen informs her, adding a gently scolding tone to his voice.

"I was just organizing last semester's spreadsheet, it won't take me much-"

He stops her dead in her tracks, reaching down and taking the device from her. She didn't offer much resistance, a clear indicator that she was exhausted. She looks at him for a moment, blue eyes fixing him to see just how serious about this he is. It's been known for him to joke about such things. A quick glance is all that she requires to be able to tell that he's pretty serious about all of this. He offers her an affectionate look:

"Work's not going any where, Man." He turns the tablet off before slipping it under his arm. "I'm going to bed. You should call it a night too."

"I will…" The woman offers him a gentle smile as he begins to drift off and head towards his bedroom. "Bonne nuit Adrien."

"Sleep well." Comes the reply.

It's ten minutes later when all of the lights in the Agreste mansion go out and its occupants find their sleep.