Chapter Fifteen

Note: Hello, beautiful readers. Thank you for staying with me for so long. This story is over 50,000 words, which might not seem like much in the world of longfics, but, guys, galls, non-binary peeps-that is the standard novel length. This is officially novel-length. And that feels amazing. So, again I say, thank you, so much, for sticking with me and helping me put this story out there.

Now, as for the story. We have to tie up some loose ends in the next few chapters, and deal with some dark shit. This means not as many lemons to look forward to, but worry not; they are coming (pun intended; this is a Ladybug and CHAT NOIR story after all). So, please, enjoy the next installment of Lost and Broken, and, as always, love to hear feedback or suggestions from everybody, so FOLLOW, FAVORITE, and REVIEW to let me know whatcha think.

Work began the next day. Rather than a flurry of fighting crime, Adrien and Marinette were talking to contractors and deciding what to do with the mansion. Marinette hadn't realized the place was so huge. There was an Olympic-sized pool at the back of the house, with glass walls and roof around it. The back had a good-sized yard, with green grass and a couple of lilac bushes. Inside, there were three bedrooms downstairs, four bedrooms upstairs, and all were the same size as Adrien's bedroom. The kitchen was built to feed a hundred, and Marinette had to stop and drool over the marble and stainless steel, the sub-zero fridge, the massive walk-in pantry, the double bread ovens. The kitchen would remain exactly as it was, she stressed—absolutely no changes. There were two sitting rooms, both with fireplaces and large windows, on either side of the entryway. They poured over the blueprints with the contractors, keeping away the secret portion that had been inside the note on the front of the portfolio, trying to picture their lives together and what they wanted.

The upstairs bedroom with the easiest outside access would be their bedroom, in case they needed to rush out suddenly—they chose the one next to Adrien's old room.

"Then, we'll use the other two rooms for," She paused, glancing up at the listening contractor in front of them. "Vixen, Shield, and Honey, for whenever they would like to stay. And, for the third room?"

Adrien wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. "A nursery." Marinette smiled and kissed his cheek, resting her hands over his. "For when we're ready."

"Right. So that takes care of divvying out the upstairs rooms. I think we should put down carpet upstairs, instead of the same marble flooring, or the hardwood we were planning for downstairs. It would make it warmer." She looked at the contractor. "Is that okay?"

"Ma'am," she shrugged. "It is your home. I'm just here to make sure your dream becomes reality. If you want carpet, we can get you carpet."

Marinette nodded. "Right, then we have the downstairs. One room, I would love to set aside as a sewing room/office, if that's alright, minou?" Adrien nodded, chin still against her shoulder. "And the other, perhaps, as a guest room. And a library for the third." She pulled a section of the blueprints towards them, pointing at an area off the pool, separated from the rest of the house into a building of its own. "This is the gym, right? Can we go there right now?"

Adrien nodded, taking her hand and leading her, the contractor following behind. Both women's eyes widened as they saw the gym itself. There was a full shower/locker room area, complete with four shower stalls, cubbies for bags, clothes, etc., and a walk-in sauna. The gym itself was state-of-the-art, and easily the size of a smaller standard public gym. The floor was hardwood, coated with layers of wax and resin like a basketball court or a dance floor, with various equipment on foam mats, and a strip of matting stretched out next to a rack of fencing epées and equipment.

"Father was very strict about diet and exercise; we had to stay in shape for our careers." Adrien explained.

"In any case, it is good that you have the basics set up," Marinette said. "Because it means we don't have to start from scratch for our gym." Turning to the contractor, "How difficult would it be to expand this building?"

The woman scratched her chin, eyes roaming the beams overhead and measuring in her mind. "How much were you thinking?"

"I was thinking to half its size again," She mused, looking down at her sketchbook that she had grabbed on the way. The night before, she had sketched out basic concepts for how they wanted everything. "Maybe even doubling its size. We want to keep the current equipment and add two sparring rings. I would love to add either a climbing wall or a padded area for tumbling, as well." Marinette followed the contractors gaze. "Maybe both…Could we go out from the north side," She said, pointing at the far wall, "And bring it out another half a length, and raise the ceiling up another ten feet in that area for a climbing wall?"

The contractor looked where she was pointing, chewing on her lip, she made a couple of notes in the notebook from her pocket, made a few calculations. "Shouldn't be too hard. Might take a bit of time. Speaking from a safety standpoint," She tapped the toe of her boot against the floor. "You would probably want to replace the floor as a whole piece, so there are no gaps or uneven places."

Marinette nodded. "I didn't even think of that, but you're absolutely right. Hmm," She looked again in the direction they were speaking about.

Adrien spoke up. "What if, instead of extending straight out, we dropped the floor a few feet? A ramp on either side of the room, the rings and the wall of the drop creating a partial box," he mimed out a box shape with his hands. Pad the drop-wall as well and do our tumbling within that. Some of our crazier maneuvers could stand for a few walls to stop us flying away."

"You're right…could it be done?" Marinette asked.

The contractor nodded. "Might make the planning easier. Might take a little more time, but we wouldn't have to replace the whole floor… Definitely doable. Are you wanting to add some windows in here? It's kind of dark."

Both shrugged. "Honestly, it's easier not to. The constant, artificial light isn't as distracting. And if there're windows, there is a chance for broken glass. Better not to risk rolling around on the floor and winding up cut to ribbons." Marinette answered.

"Fair point," She said with a half-grin. "No windows. Got it."

"Could we connect this building to the pool, as well? Not fully, just perhaps a sidewalk and awning. I don't want something like rain or snow keeping us from our training." Adrien continued.

"Easily." She answered, jotting it down. "Now, for the downstairs, you said you were thinking hardwood? Ideas on types of wood?" The discussion transitioned to one of color schemes and themes. They were wanting a dark wood. They would leave the white marble staircase as is but replace the silver banisters with the same dark wood as the flooring. For the main areas, the walls would remain the same white, with the bedrooms painted in splashes of colors. The dining room would be split. Half would be a pair of desks with full computer set ups and a conference/battle planning table, the other half the dining area with a smaller, more reasonable table, and a decorative partition divider between the areas. It would still be a huge, opulent house, but they were determined to make it a home full of warmth and love.

After the contractor left to draw of the finalized plans, they took care of their other business. Marinette and the others had been emptying her apartment since after the battle of Queen Bee. Now, she boxed up the last few things, loaded them into the car, and handed her keys over to the landlord. She didn't need the place anymore, and she didn't really have a job in order to pay rent on it. Adrien offered, of course, to pay it for her, but what was the point? She wasn't living there. They would remain at the apartment the mayor procured for them until the remodeling was complete, and then they would move into the Agreste mansion.

Finally, they stood in front of their last stop for the day, holding hands. "Are you ready for this?" Adrien asked Marinette, grinning at her.

"Of course. They'll be happy. Overjoyed." Marinette answered stoically. Then her shoulders slumped a little. "No. Adrien, what if they think we're moving too fast?"

Adrien kissed her temple. "Do you think we're moving too fast?" She shook her head. "That's all that matters." He tugged her into her parents' bakery. They were closing up for the day, sweeping and wiping down the counters and display case.

"Sorry, we've closed up for the day!" Sabine called from behind the counter, not looking up.

"It's just us, mom." Marinette answered.

Tom stepped out of the back. "Ah, at last. We were beginning to think you'd forgotten us."

"Of course not." Marinette stepped into his arms for a hug. "We were just running some important errands."

"Finish up with the apartment?" Sabine asked, wiping her hands and removing her apron, tossing it into the basket to be washed.

"Yeah. Set up plans with the contractor. The mansion is going to be amazing when it's finished." Marinette answered.

Sabine and Tom both raised a brow, glancing at each other conspiratorially before turning back to their daughter. "You both set up plans with the contractor? Are you helping Adrien with the interior design for his new home?" Sabine asked with an innocent tone, slightly emphasizing 'him.'

Marinette blushed, and she couldn't get the smile to drop from her face. "Sort of…not exactly…um. Maman, papa. I-uh…" She looked at Adrien for help, but he looked all too amused with her predicament to assist her. She giggled nervously. "I'm moving into the mansion, too." She said, taking her mother's hand in her right. "And…we're…getting married!" She finished in an excited squeal, unable to hide her joy. Sabine's face lit up bright as fireworks as she answered her daughter's squeal and hugged her, the two laughing and jumping like schoolgirls.

Tom smiled softly and clapped Adrien on the shoulder. "Congratulations, son." He said quietly. Adrien felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes at the instant acceptance he had always received from this family—his family. The boys watched as Sabine grabbed her daughter's hands and dragged her upstairs, already talking about flowers, dresses, the cake—and decided to give them a head start. "So you're moving in together already?" Tom asked. He wasn't worried about what most parents would be when their unmarried daughter moves in with a guy—seeing as the previous day he had gotten an eyeful of what they had been doing already.

Adrien smiled. "Yes, sir. I wasn't sure, but Marinette loves the place already. She has big plans for it."

"I bet she does." Tom knew the artistic mind of his daughter well. "You can't let her take over, you know, or you won't have any say."

Adrien shrugged. "I like what she's doing. We have the paint still to pick out, sort of, but we have the building, the extensions, the lawn, the floors, the rooms—everything else is ready to go. And she has been forcing herself to stop and ask my opinion, even though I can see the desire to push forward and take over."

Tom chuckled. "Since you're already moving pretty quick," He said jovially, "And you have all that space now, I expect a steady stream of grandchildren coming to visit us."

Adrien choked on air and bent at the waist, hands on his knees, to catch his breath, the tips of his ears burning red. "I don't think we're quite ready for that, sir…"

Tom's laughter boomed through the bakery as he began upstairs. "Come on, son, let's go see what the girls are up to."

As Adrien started after him, there was a knock on the door. He turned, revealing Alya, Nino, and Chloe waiting to be let in. "We remember Marinette saying you would be here tonight," Alya said as he led them inside. "And I think, after the torture you two put us through during training, that you owe us some cookies."

Adrien shook his head, still smiling. "Torture? I remember it as trying to make sure my friends don't get hurt and die in the line of duty." He threw his arms over Chloe's and Nino's shoulders, pulling them upstairs. "And, we're fresh out of cookies; although, we do have a surprise for you."

Alya gave him a quizzical look over her shoulder as she led the way upstairs. Then they reached the top, and her eyes met Marinette's. What followed could only be described as a glimpse into an entirely female language, based on shrill squeals, jumping, laughing, and large hand gestures, partaken by all of the girls in the room, as Adrien, Nino, and Tom extricated themselves and stood to the side, watching with amusement.