I'm sorry for being such a piece of shit when it comes to updates. Lately I've been wanting to focus on Mark of a Cat and Friendly Competition and get those out of the way, so I can then begin to finish my other stories. And then college decided to dump a ton of work on me :/ But it's October, so I figured I'd work on this more.

Chapter 14

"So…" Alya prompted the next morning with a teasing smirk. "How was your date with Adrien last night?"

Marinette's cheeks took on an interesting pink hue as her eyes lowered to her desk. "It wasn't a date."

The pair were in their shared homeroom, spending the limited free time they had by talking about the newest and more interesting developments in their lives, namely Adrien and Nino now that they knew they weren't the ordinary humans they thought they were.

"Okay, it was a scandalous rendezvous under the moonlight," Alya corrected with the same shit-eating grin. Marinette's cheeks reddened even more as her mouth dropped, but once she got over the initial shock of hearing the risqué statement she quickly raised her hand and smacked Alya on the shoulder, eliciting a laugh from her best friend.

"It wasn't a 'scandalous rendezvous'!" she snapped in her embarrassed outrage. "And it wasn't even under the moonlight, we were in my room!"

"In your room?" Alya echoed suggestively, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulders. The grin she now bore was purely wicked. "Just where in your room?"

Marinette knew that if she answered truthfully, then Alya would never let it go and proceed to tease her for the rest of the day, and possibly the week. So, she decided to counterattack in the best way possible.

"I'm sure it's not anywhere that you and Nino haven't already been," Marinette replied nonchalantly. A grin of her own slowly manifested as she noticed her friend's cheeks considerably darken.

Alya's mouth opened and closed, for the first time in a while she was struggling to find words. "We haven't-! We never met at night! Not like you and-"

"Hm? What's this about a meeting at night?"

Alya ceased talking and the two girls looked to the aisle on Marinette's side to see Lila Rossi standing with her arms folded and her lips quirked up in a seemingly innocent smile. But Marinette knew there wasn't any sweetness in her expression at all, it was false just like the many lies she regularly told. Unfortunately, not everyone in the school picked up on the falsehoods as easily as Marinette and Alya did.

And as much as she liked lying, it was possible she liked to spread gossip even more, which was why Marinette was very reluctant to answer her question.

"Just a study night, no big deal," Alya supplied easily with a shrug, the white lie practically rolling off her tongue.

"Really?" Lila inquired, tilting her head. She still bore that same innocent expression, something that Marinette was growing aggravated by as the seconds ticked on.

As though reading her mind, Lila's lips abruptly curled into a grin that was thirsty for a far more interesting answer, and yet again Marinette was reminded of her true nature. "It didn't sound like a 'study night'. Are you meeting with a boy, Marinette? I didn't think of you as the type of girl to do that."

Marinette bristled, her eyes narrowing into a harsh glare that normally would send anyone else running. While Lila didn't run, she did shrink back just the tiniest bit. Although the smug smirk she bore still remained.

"Even if I was, it's none of your business anyway, Lila." She purposefully hardened her voice, a cool dismissal to the gossip standing before her.

Lila's eyes widened in apparent hurt, she even fully played out the act by placing a hand against her heart. "I was just curious, Marinette. There's no need to be so mean."

"And there's no need for you to be so nosy," Alya retorted, almost leaning over Marinette to get closer to Lila in her annoyance.

Lila scowled, dropping the act and letting her true feelings show.

"Whatever, I don't care anyway," she replied flippantly and walked away to her own desk. But before Marinette and Alya could fully appreciate it, Nino walked in and noticing how cross they looked, asked what was going on.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, wolfie," Alya answered off-handedly. However, as she saw Nino's face erupt in a furious blush, a mischievous grin widely spread across her lips and her eyes shined with a sly twinkle. She was purely sadistic.

"W-wolfie?" he croaked helplessly. He thought that nickname was a one-time thing, he didn't think that she would keep calling him that! Meanwhile, Marinette was trying and failing not to giggle. If their interactions now were this cute, then they had amazing potential for the future.

"Yeah, I think I like the name," Alya remarked nonchalantly, taking her eyes off him to turn on her tablet. She eventually looked back to him, and smiled wider since his cheeks held no signs of returning back to their normal color anytime soon. "It suits you."

Nino remained perfectly frozen, allowing Marinette to properly observe him from head to toe. He didn't have any visible indications of being a werewolf, not that she could tell, anyway. She had thought he was a normal boy, and wouldn't have known the truth at all had Adrien not told her first.

Meanwhile, Nino appeared to snap out of his temporary stun. He noticed Marinette scrutinizing him and sent her a wry grin. "I'm guessing Alya told you?"

She shook her head, a corner of her mouth quirking up almost apologetically. "No, Adrien actually told me."

He scoffed and shook his head as he laid down his bag on the bench, prior to rotating around to face her. "I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, all you'd have to do is bat your eyes at him and he'd tell you anything."

Marinette might've been a tad offended if it wasn't for Nino's obvious teasing smile and tone. She laughed lightly and peered down at her desk, idly wondering if what he said was indeed true. Not that she would ever manipulate Adrien like that.

"You really think so?" Alya asked with a sly smirk aimed at her (in Marinette's opinion) future boyfriend. "Is he that far gone?"

Nino glanced once to Marinette before he grinned broadly.

"Definitely. I'll spare you all the mushy stuff, though."

Marinette could feel her cheeks warm. Just what did Adrien say about her that was so 'mushy' to Nino?

"Aw, but that's what I want to hear," Alya pouted, crossing her arms together. "As Marinette's best friend and future journalist, I deserve to know all the details."

"And as Adrien's girlfriend, I feel that we should have at least a little privacy," Marinette lowly muttered, and it wasn't until she heard Alya's excited gasp that all the color drained from her face as she realized what she said.

"N-no! I-I mean, I didn't-" she tried but there was no way Alya was going to dismiss her slipup.

"Girlfriend? You didn't tell me this! Why didn't you tell me?!" Alya demanded, leaning closer to Marinette in an effort to get her to spill. The girl in question reeled back, stealing a glance at Nino to see his reaction. He wasn't nearly as happy as Alya was, instead he just looked shocked.

"Please don't tell Adrien," she pleaded, and Nino found himself unable to say no to her. She just looked so scared, it was clear that she absolutely didn't want Adrien to know about this at all. To be honest, he wasn't really sure if he would've told Adrien anyway. If she didn't want him to know, then it would just be trouble and heartache for the both of them. Adrien would be ecstatic and try to persuade her for the relationship to be official, while Marinette would just be unsure, nervous, and wary.

She needed to sort out her feelings herself, without any interference from himself, Alya, or even Adrien.

"Come on Alya, don't interrogate her," he chided softly, shifting his gaze to the now disappointed amateur journalist. "Let her think."

Alya turned back to Marinette, mentally reflecting on her actions and visibly grimaced.

"Sorry, girl. I just got a little excited, you know how much I ship you two."

Marinette in turn fondly rolled her eyes. "It's fine, I understand." Oh yes, she did understand. Almost nothing got Alya more happy than seeing a couple she shipped doing romantic stuff, so she could report it and let everyone else know, of course.

At that moment Mme. Bustier walked in the room, a smile on her face as she bid good morning to the students, before requesting them to bring out their homework to check. Alya and Marinette inwardly groaned, having forgotten all about it during the eventful weekend.

…

When the three friends got lunch at a café later that day, Alya expressed that she wanted to officially meet Adrien. She wanted to see if he was worthy of the 'best friend approved' stamp, although she was sure that he already was. She wondered what kind of person he was, when he wasn't interacting with Marinette. Would he be as friendly as Marinette said he was? Or would he dislike her from the start?

Marinette and Nino assured her that Adrien would be nice if he met her, but it all came down to Marinette asking him if he would like to. All three of them felt it would be awkward if he just decided to drop in Alya's room in the middle of the night to meet her, so they decided that Alya would just have to be in Marinette's room when he would come over.

Problem was, Marinette had no idea if Adrien was interested in meeting Alya. What if he said no?

Her eyes narrowed, resolution shining in her eyes.

Well if he said no to meeting her best friend, one of the people she cared about the most, then it wouldn't be worth it to be in a relationship with him.

…

"Good evening, Princess," Chat greeted her that night right before transforming back into Adrien. Like the previous night, Marinette had a plate of camembert for Plagg waiting and like the last time, he flew off to give them privacy. Or it could've been because he just didn't care of what they had to talk about. It was probably that option.

Adrien took her hand and gave a chaste but tender kiss to her knuckles, then peered up at her with a grin. "So, any more questions for me? I'm more than happy to oblige with answers."

Marinette's own lips curled into a smile. She didn't take her hand from his as she spoke.

"Actually, there is one. My friend Alya wants to meet you, would it be okay if she came over Friday night to do so?" Hopefully he would give her the answer she wanted to hear. Over time she could see the likelihood of herself being with him becoming more and more of a reality. She didn't want to be wrong about him.

Adrien instantly brightened and perked up in his seat on her bed. Not only would he meet his Nino's possible future mate, but he would also meet his Loved One's best friend. The situation couldn't be any more perfect. He just hoped that Alya would like him, since he was more than aware that oftentimes a best friend's opinion could sway a person's decision of whether or not to date someone.

"Of course, I'd be honored to meet her," he replied with a wide smile, and instantly Marinette relaxed, thankful that he'd responded so positively. "Do you think she'll approve of me?"

From the way he spoke he sounded excited, but Marinette could detect the hints of anxiety in his eyes that betrayed what he was really feeling. She sighed affectionately and squeezed his hand in hopes of helping to comfort him.

"Between you and me," she began conspiratorially, even leaning in and darting her eyes to her right and left to 'check' if someone was listening. Adrien chuckled and nodded, playing along with the act and encouraging her further. "Alya already likes you. She just wants to meet you so she can solidify her opinion and give you her 'best friend stamp of approval'."

"Do you mean that theoretically or will I be getting an actual stamp?" he teased, prompting a light laugh from her. His heart swelled with pride, knowing that he was the cause of it.

"I'm not sure," she admitted with another giggle. "She's never had to use it before."

"Ah, so I'm your first," he concluded with a wicked smirk, and the innuendo of that wasn't lost on Marinette. Her cheeks bloomed into a rosy color, and Adrien immediately regretted what he said when she didn't respond.

Did he take it too far? Honestly he hadn't meant it like that when he said it, but now that he took time to think about it, the words could ultimately prove to damn him in the end. It was a mistake, and he opened his mouth to apologize, yet apparently she must've gotten over her shock for she laughed and removed her hand from his to point her finger at his nose.

"Don't assume anything yet, Your Highness," she warned with a small grin, saying his title with a sarcastic lilt. He couldn't help but crack a smile at it; he couldn't remember anyone calling him that the way she just did. "I still haven't made my decision."

"Anything I can do to speed up the process?" he inquired mischievously, taking her hand again to place another kiss to the knuckles, only this time he lingered longer than usual. Looking up through his lashes, he watched with satisfaction as she blushed once more and bit her lower lip.

She blinked, and just like that the spell was broken. She gently took her hand away and sighed, trying to focus on somehow getting her complexion to return to normal.

"Yes," she finally said, turning to him with an interested smile. "Can you tell me about your life? Where do you live? What's your family like?"

A breath escaped past his lips as he leaned back on his hands. Marinette noticed that he didn't look particularly eager to share anything, it was as if the very topic sucked all the happiness from his body. But why?

"I live in a castle in a forest far away from here. It's everything you would expect from a castle: huge, large windows, tapestries, ornate rugs, a million different rooms…lonely," he added in a murmur that barely reached her ears. She frowned; how bad was it in his home? From his description, up until the lonely part, it sounded like a castle that every little girl who dreamed of being a princess would love to live in.

"My father is pretty much the only family I have. He's…good to me, I suppose." He uttered a short hum with a pained smile, probably in an effort to lighten the mood but it didn't work. "He took care of me. He may not be the most caring and approachable father in the world, but he's better than plenty of others."

When Marinette only continued to stare at him in pity, Adrien continued on, not able to look at her expression. His mind wandered back as he recalled the activities he had to do every day for years.

"He made sure I was well-educated. I took Chinese and Italian lessons, although I did learn some Japanese so I could watch anime without it being dubbed." This time the chuckle he emitted was real, and Marinette laughed along with him. However, it only lasted for a few moments.

"I learned almost every academic subject and its advanced version imaginable. If you can name it, I've very likely learned it. I took piano and fencing lessons, too, along with learning how to properly analyze different kinds of documents and laws to fully understand them in order to prepare myself for being King someday."

He looked up at her then, his lips pulling up in a soft smile.

"These nights that I spend with you are some of the most relaxing moments of my life. Sure, it's fun hanging out with Nino, but you're different. I-" he stopped, briefly glancing down to the bed and Marinette wondered what more he wanted to say. "It's nice," he said at last, but she could tell that it wasn't what he truly wished to say. Why wouldn't he tell her?

Even though she wanted to know, she wouldn't force it out of him. Also, there was another question niggling at the back of her mind.

"You said your only family is your father," she murmured, gazing up at him solemnly with curiosity swirling in her eyes. "What about your mother?"

Adrien shifted, his mouth forming a tight line as he looked away. Obviously she brought up a sore topic. Guilt flooded into her heart; she hated herself for making him feel worse.

"It's okay," she said immediately. "You don't have to tell me."

He shook his head.

"No, I'll tell you. I won't keep it a secret from you." His lips quirked up into a wry grin as he turned back to her. "But it's not exactly a happy tale, Princess."

"Tell me anyway if you want," she insisted gently in a whisper. She longed for him to see that he could tell or anything, or not to if he so chose. She didn't want him to feel pressured into anything.

Adrien closed his eyes and sighed.

"Her name was Céline."