It was a strange evening when it was the doorbell which actually brought some calm into the Dupain-Cheng household.

In truth, Marinette wasn't entirely sure just how things had gotten into such a confused panic to start off with. Somehow, they had all been able to lose track of just what the time was despite the fact that it had been the knowledge that time was running out which had been plaguing them and building the entire state of almost frenzied panic which had gripped the family. It was a combination of things really. The arrival of Adrien Agreste really shouldn't have taken any of them by surprise given that she'd invited him the best part of a week ago. Just how it had managed to creep up on them, she couldn't have said. All she knew was that she'd been given a text by Nino to let her know that he'd dropped off the young man and they could expect his company within a few moments.

So it was, they found themselves tidying up as quickly as humanly possible. The kitchen being a mess wasn't much of a problem, it was the rest of the house they were concerned about. It was hardly dusty but nerves caused them to overcompensate, trying to ensure that there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Ordinarily, Marinette might have said it wasn't necessary. As far as she was aware, Adrien wasn't the sort to get worked up over some dust. In all honesty, she doubted he would even notice. Still, they had decided to clean up. Everything had to perfect it would seem. For some reason, she hadn't imagined there be this much trouble over her boyfriend coming around. With Luka, she could understand it. He was her first, it was natural that her parents would be a bit nervous and uncertain (just as she was). She didn't know why tonight was different. It just was.

Brushing herself down, the young woman checked herself over quickly in the mirror. She brushed a couple of strands of her hair, ensuring that she looked presentable before heading to the door. She didn't hesitate. It was rude to keep him waiting outside after all.

She found herself faced with the familiar and handsome features of Adrien Agreste. The young man offered her a gentle smile, a bottle of red wine tucked cautiously under his arm. His eyes met hers. She knew that she was a blur, a watercolour as he had put it. He'd told Alya it was like looking at an impressionist painting. Dabs of color and odd shapes which all seemed to fuse together just enough for him to be able to make out shapes and identify just what he was looking at. Equally importantly, the scarring around his eyes was thankfully beginning to fade away. His other wounds were healing up just as well apparently. At any rate, he obviously felt well enough to attend a dinner at her place with her parents in attendance. That naturally implied that he felt this could all proceed normally and without any hints of supernatural interference.

"Hey! Good to see you!" She greeted him enthusiastically, trying not to let any of the panic which had existed a few moments ago show.

"You too… Sorry I'm late. We got held up in traffic."

"It's fine. Come on in."

She gave him a gentle peck on the cheek as he entered. An extension of the typical French bise, adapted for the status of "boyfriend". He smiled timidly. Like a boy getting acknowledged by his childish crush, a blush crept across his features. She took his coat, hanging it up cautiously. Plagg dared to hover in the open for a few seconds, glancing around as if to ensure that nothing in the building had changed since the last time he was here.

Her parents were quick to come over to greet them. It stuck Marinette that he appeared to be slightly awkward. Initially, she passed it off as simply being due to his injuries which whilst definitely far better, continued to cause him some trouble. After a few seconds of reflection however, it dawned on her that this would be a first for him. As far as she was aware, he'd never had another girlfriend and much less been invited round for dinner by her family. Her parents were good and sensitive people, she had already briefed them about the situation – well, an edited version of the situation at any rate – requesting that they be careful as far as the young man was concerned given that he was still very much fragile. Perhaps, it would take a few moments before he was entirely comfortable with the situation. He met them none-the-less with a smile, giving both a bise.

"It's nice to see you again." Sabine declared as they guided the young man out of the narrow entrance and towards the more spacious living-room.

"You too…" Adrien's voice trailed off as he apparently struggled to think of an appropriate way to continue to statement. "It's nice to finally get out for a change."

"I can imagine." It was her father who answered. "Marinette told us about your accident, it sounded like you were lucky."

"I was but the worst is behind me now."

Marinette recognized Adrien's statement as his own way of politely signalling that this wasn't a subject that he wanted to continue discussing. She knew that he was far from comfortable concealing the truth from her parents. It was a little too close for lying for his liking and dragged him perilously close to breaking one of his vows. She guided him over to the couch, inviting him to sit whilst her parents brought up some snacks. She took the bottle of wine from him, aware that it was likely to be of the finest quality but not something that he himself had picked out given his little knowledge about all things to do with alcohol. Her parents appreciated the gift, telling the young man that he didn't need to go to any trouble. He assured them that it wasn't.

He was acting the way that he had been taught to by his father: the model son, in every respect. If there was a textbook about social events, Marinette reckoned that her boyfriend had likely been made to read it, substituting for any real experience. She wondered if he was nervous. It could be difficult to tell with him. Masking his emotions was something that he was surprisingly good at. He would pretend that everything was alright or at least not tell them when he was uncomfortable. Asides from being quiet, she couldn't see any immediate signs of him being painfully nervous.

She sat next to him, carefully intertwining her fingers with his, giving them a slight squeeze. He gave her a brief glance before offering the young woman a gentle smile, letting her know that he appreciated the gesture. In her mind, she wanted this to be as calm and natural as possible. That wasn't a given considering everything that the two of them knew had occurred and the exact same things which they desperately needed to conceal from her parents. Tonight was a double exercise: she wanted to get Adrien out and reconnected with the real world, even if it was just her family in their little home and also to try and convey the image to said family that their relationship was entirely normal and healthy. Dinners were a part of that, weren't they? Sometimes her life was so strange that she herself ending up wondering.

"So, I see that Agreste is back on top of the fashion world." Sabine started, evidently trying to find a good subject to start the conversation off with.

"Yeah. Somehow… I had literally nothing to do with it." Adrien was modest but perhaps not wrong. "There are some great people who managed to save the company. I'm just the face, really… I see your bakery's still going strong."

"Sure is."

The conversation was somewhat unnatural. Both groups threaded carefully. There was much which could possibly upset the young man: his family, his past, his accident… The first few minutes were always going to be awkward. With his eyes still blurry, she knew that he couldn't make out much of his surroundings. He'd told them it was like a watercolour. Shapes and forms and increasingly features. At least he wasn't trapped in the dark. Marinette studied the young man in silence for a few moments. She watched him, taking note of the progress that he had made. It was clear that he actually knew where those around him were standing. He would turn his head to face them, so as to face whoever was speaking to them. That was nothing new. He'd been basing himself off of their voices, listening to where they were. Now those, his gaze was following. A sure sign that he could make them out.

Whether nor not he could actually distinguish the gentle and encouraging smiles that her parents were giving him, she was unable to say. She loved her parents. In the space of a few minutes, they seemed to have been able to grasp that they needed to be careful with him. He was made out of glass in some respects. He was nervous. She could tell that much, no doubt fearing the repercussions of putting one foot out of line. His interactions with his own family had been… Different, to that which she had ever experienced with her own. It was natural that he would be a bit lost.

"Thank you for the wine Adrien but Marinette told us that you don't drink?" Sabine had four glasses but currently only three were filled.

"I don't." He shook his head. "Not alcohol."

"So what would you like to drink?"

"Just some water would be fine, thank you."

"And you're a vegetarian?" It was Tom who spoke this time.

"Yeah. I developed some funny eating habits in China and I haven't been able to shake them off." He shrugged his shoulders in a non-apology.

"Well, it sounds like you've chosen the healthy route."

Adrien simply smiled softly. Whilst he still refused point blank to eat any meat or to drink alcohol, the young man was at least beginning to relax a little where some of his other restrictions had been put in place (namely where sweets were concerned). Of course, there was no saying how he behaved when the rest of them weren't around. She suspected that he was probably still thoroughly rooted in the routine which had grown accustomed to over the course of a decade. It would take more than a couple of months to break him of such habits. He'd even gotten back to his exercise routine – albeit slightly more relaxed given that he wasn't 100% yet. Soon enough though, Marinette was confident that he would be back to normal or at least the new normal.

Tonight was a part of that. She wanted to remind him that this wasn't Tibet. The life that he had lived there had been a harsh one. In her heart, whilst Adrien had assured her that he wasn't to blame, Marinette couldn't help but feel that somewhere along the line, Master Fu had made a terrible mistake. The fourteen year old should have been given more time to heal, not flown away to some abandoned temple on the side of a mountain. The young man who had returned wasn't quite right. Whether he had always been that way, simply deteriorated over time, concealed the matter from the old man or it was his death which had brought things to a head, Ladybug couldn't have said but he wasn't the same. These days since the attack had brought that much home to all of them. Hopefully, tonight they could relax and try to get things back to normal.

Sabine came over handing them each their glasses. They raised them, to what, Marinette wasn't entirely certain. A better future? She didn't question, obliging with a broad smile. There was a clink. Adrien was smiling, she supposed that meant that part of this was working.

The conversation became a bit easier afterwards. It flowed more naturally. They didn't go into anything too serious but that was for the best in her opinion. The more light-hearted things stayed, the greater the chances of Adrien actually relaxing a little were. There was more than a handful of things which might upset him that they could talk about. Thankfully, her parents seemed to be good at spotting them. They told him stories. Brought up back up to date about some of the things that he had missed around Paris. They got him to laugh. Something which had proved difficult to achieve since he had been attacked. It wasn't something that he was putting on either, there was a genuine warmth behind the action. A bright spark seemed to settle in behind his still slightly bloodshot eyes. It was enough to allow his friend to think that a part of him might just have returned to them. It was a side of the young man that she had sorely missed.

"What about me?" Plagg, seemingly unable to contain himself any longer whispered about half way through the meal.

"What did I say about keep your head down, huh?" Adrien growled lowly as a warning. It was a good thing that her parents were in the kitchen preparing the dessert.

"It's not my fault… My stomach needs food." The kwami turned to his partner, big green eyes resting upon him.

"Relax. You know where my room is, right?" Marinette interrupted the complaint before it became too loud. "Tikki's up there and there's some Camembert just waiting for you."

"Thanks Marinette!"

Without saying another word, the kwami flew off like a bullet in the direction of the young woman's room. Both followed him with their gaze for a moment until he fazed through the wall and was no longer visible. Adrien let out a bemused sigh, shaking his head slightly. She smiled slightly. Whilst she had never spent all that much time with Plagg, she knew that unlike Tikki, he could be a handful at times ranging from a nuisance to some of his actions being downright dangerous. That and having to cater for a being with a bottomless stomach and a craving for Camembert couldn't be all that pleasant to deal with on a day to day basis. He'd been quieter during the period that his partner was injured but these past few days seemed to have returned to his usual self. Encouraging, she supposed.

"You didn't have to do that. I fed him before we came out." He turned to her after a few seconds.

"Relax. It's no trouble-" She assured him with a gentle smile. "-and I know that kwami of yours is a floating stomach."

"Do you ever not think about others?" There was a slightly teasing tone to his question.

"Sometimes..." She confessed, heat rising to her cheeks as she averted her gaze. "I can be selfish and petty just like everyone else."

"Maybe… But never for long, never enough to cause damage." He hesitated for a moment before adding. "Thank you for inviting me tonight."

"It's not a problem. Mom and dad have been wanting to get to know you and I just wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend."

She was bold in using the term. Their relationship was still somewhat confusing to her. Whilst they were dating, there was still something of a barrier which seemed to exist between the two of them. It was paper thin but none-the-less present. To this day, she still hadn't quite been able to penetrate it. Perhaps she'd been a bit bold that night she'd tried to kiss him (her memories were vague but she knew she'd failed). He was still fragile. Somehow, she still felt closer to Luka than she did to Adrien. If he'd never been in a relationship before then all of this would seem confusing. She couldn't help but think that it had never posed much of a problem for Cat Noir, he'd always been eager to get together with Ladybug. Yet another reminder that ten years had passed and that things had changed.

There was something behind that soft and gentle smile which he gave her however which caused her not to abandon hope. It was as if a piece of the fourteen year old she had once known was trying to break out and return to her. Maybe, more time and effort were required to chip away at the man and discover what truly lay beneath.

Her parents emerged a few seconds later carrying a warm galette des rois. Adrien raised his eyebrows, perhaps he had not been expecting such a treat. Her parents were intent on pleasing the young man, making a good impression. Not that a lot of work was required to do so. As far as she was aware, he thought quite happily of them – perhaps because he struggled not to make comparisons with his own family. He'd been happy at some point, that much was clear in the photos that she'd seen of the boy with his mother. Those days were long gone. Now his parents were no longer in his life and he had only scars both physical and emotional to remind him of them. There was a strangely childish joy about the prospect of a galette it would seem. He confessed to not having had one since he was eight.

As it turned out, nobody was crowned king that night. The fève was still somewhere in the pastry and frangipani it would seem. So, they invited him round for the following day to finish it. To Marinette's surprise but not displeasure, he actually accepted. It would seem that time in the Dupain-Cheng household could do more than just a little good for the young man. She smiled softly, content with just how things had and were playing out.

"That almost felt… I don't know." Adrien spoke quietly by the door, ready to leave and go home. "Normal?"

"Maybe that's just what you needed?" She suggested, her voice soft.

"I'd like to think so." His smile was as soft. "Thank you Marinette."

"You're welcome. Anytime."

There was a warmth between the two of them which she hadn't felt in quite some time. The feeling that her friend was still in there. Marinette wasn't too sure what to say or do in the current circumstance or if it would simply be best if she was quiet. There was something behind Adrien's eyes, a tender affection that she had only ever seen a handful of times before. Curiously, the first was when he had left her that night. The sorrow had been immeasurable but there had been a feeling of true affection directed towards her. Then there had been when he had found her again in the rain. This time, although the skin around his eyes was a painful reminder of what was out there, lurking somewhere. She smiled back, wondering if this might be a good time to give him a little kiss. An odd dilemma: she didn't want to make things awkward by seeming too eager but neither did she want to appear cold.

The notion was disturbed when her parents appeared moments later. They had boxed the galette and brought it in the form of a plastic bag. Outside, Chloe was already waiting. She would ensure that Adrien made it home alright and didn't run into any trouble on the way. They would talk later. Via text or maybe even on the phone but it wouldn't be the same.

"Thank you for having me."

"Our pleasure Adrien." Sabine declared giving him a warm smile.

"You're welcome any time." Tom added gleefully.

He smiled, bidding them farewell. Before leaving however, he left her with a parting gift of sorts. A kiss on the cheek. It was nothing too deep or meaningful; a simple show of affection. It earned a blush. She found herself too surprised to even respond. Instead, she just stared. Even her parents' reaction was something that she didn't take notice of. There was a time, when she would have screamed with glee. Now, she was simply too stunned to react. The time it took her to pull herself together and realize just what was going on. He was gone. Heading back towards the car that was waiting for him and disappearing into the night.

Marinette stayed by the door, waving goodbye as her friend climbed into black limo. The chill of the night time air barely even registered. Paris, tonight, seemed to be both warmer and drier.