Well, the previous chapter was exciting! Now it's time for them to reveal each other to their parents! Or try to…

Chapter 5: Chatting

Before heading downstairs, she made sure to wear a sweater to cover her arm; it was one thing for Adrien to worry and feel bad, but her parents would not rest until she told them everything about Chloe.

Even though she was clumsy, she couldn't help but leap down the stairs in joy. She had finally met her soulmate and nothing could bring her mood down! The look on his face after she told him she loves him was priceless, and she hoped to have more chances to make him smile just like that. Her parents saw their daughter's happy mood, and while they were relieved to see Marinette return to the happy go lucky personality, they wondered what spurred this change.

"Marinette, you seem to be in a much better mood than you were when you came home," Sabine remarked. "Did Alya tell you something exciting?"

"Ah, Maman, Papa! I have exciting news to tell you!" Marinette exclaimed. "I finally met-" She cut off abruptly when she realized that she and Adrien never discussed their story together. She couldn't very well and tell her parents that her soulmate phased through their mirrors into her room!

"Who did you meet, Sweetie?" Tom asked.

"Well, my soulmate. I finally met my soulmate," Marinette said, blushing. She would have to come up with a believable story and make sure Adrien knew the story later.

"Oh, that's so exciting, Marinette! We've been waiting for this day since you were born!" Sabine said excitedly. "Go on, tell us about finally meeting the boy!"

Marinette swallowed the mouthful of soup she had and began. "Well, it's been a little over a year since I've first seen him-you two know this. But it turns out that he's already seen me for four years!"

"Four years!?" Tom exclaimed. "How did that happen?"

"Well, we didn't know that we could see each other, but then today, I felt a little…well, sad, and when I looked at the mirror, we saw each other," Marinette said, calculating every word that she spoke so that their meeting didn't seem too absurd. It was mostly the truth anyways; he had seen her sad, and that was how they met. Her parents didn't need to know more than that.

"Oh, Honey, you know that you can talk to us about anything that's upsetting you. But we're glad that you finally met your soulmate. Does he have a name?" Tom said.

"His name is Adrien Agreste," Marinette replied.

"Agreste? The son of that fashion designer you like so much? Who is also a model?" Sabine asked.

"The very same. I can't believe that I didn't recognize him, either!" Marinette said. She sipped some more of her soup and chewed the soft vegetables while her parents continued to gush.

"Well, it seems like a match made in heaven-a model and designer are soulmates! You can design clothes for him to wear!" Tom said.

"Or," Sabine interjected, "You can start by giving him the gifts you already made for him. Don't be surprised that I've seen that box that says, 'to my soulmate.' The blue scarf and hat, right?"

Marinette blushed again and thought back to those two gifts. The Santa hat was a Christmas present, and since she didn't know his birthday, the scarf was made a month later. There were various other embarrassing gifts she had made that she probably wouldn't give to Adrien, though-Valentine's day cards, poems, little sketches of him doing his homework or petting his cat.

That reminds me, I should get to know him better-I don't even know his birthday! Marinette thought.

"May I be excused now, I still have homework to do, Maman, Papa?" Marinette asked.

"Of course, Marinette. Don't stay up to long doing homework or talking to your soulmate, dear," Sabine said, sharing a grin with her husband.

"I won't!"

Back in her room, she saw that Adrien had already finished his dinner and sat in front of his mirror playing with his cat. The moment Marinette was in range, Adrien brightened up, using one of his cat's paws to wave at her.

Marinette grabbed her phone and made a show of taking his picture. She snapped a picture of Adrien holding up his cat by the paws, a dazzling smile that made her heart beat faster. She set the picture as his profile picture and threw up a peace sign when Adrien took out his phone to take a picture of her.

Can I call you? Marinette mouthed. Adrien nodded. Marinette tapped on his contact information, put her phone on speaker, and set her phone on the ground. Adrien set his cat into his lap and mirrored (ha!) her actions.

"So how was dinner?" Adrien asked.

"It was fine. I told my parents about meeting you. That means we're going to have to straighten out our story. I told them that we didn't realize we could have seen each other for months now-which is true-and that when you saw me…looking sad, that's when we saw each other. It's mostly true. An omission of details, but yeah…"

"I guess they'll want to meet me soon?" Adrien asked, rubbing his hand over the cat's back.

"Doesn't have to be soon. They didn't push for that. Anyway, when are you going to tell your father?"

"Well…I thought about it, but I'm not sure how my father would react to it. Four years ago, I told my mom about you, but I'm not sure she told Father, and he never brought it up, so I assume he doesn't know."

"Are you saying that you wouldn't bring me up to your father?" Marinette asked. She had a right to be disappointed, but maybe Adrien had a reason for holding back?

"That's not what I'm saying! It's just harder to bring up the idea of my own soulmate when my mother is still in the hospital," Adrien whispered.

"Okay, I understand, Adrien, it's okay." Marinette set her palm against the glass, and Adrien pressed his palm against his own mirror. They couldn't feel each other's warmth, but it was enough to know that they understood each other. "Anyway, I want to know more about you! How about we play 20 Questions?"

For the rest of the evening, they asked each other personal and impersonal questions-birthdays, favorite holidays, colors, and seasons, and so much more. Those few hours passed by so quickly, and it seemed as if they fit a whole lifetime of friendship in that span of time.

Marinette's eyes were starting to droop when she looked back down at her homework again. She had finished most of it and was grateful that Adrien could help her with the math and science.

"Princess, you should go to bed, it's almost midnight," Adrien said. Plagg, his cat, had long left the two to their own devices and was sleeping in Adrien's bed. "We both have to get up in the morning."

"Fine, fine. Stay on the phone until I get to bed?"

"Of course."

Drowsily, Marinette rose to put her school work away, and they continued to chat about their day tomorrow. Working on autopilot, Marinette turned to her dresser to pull out a pair of pajamas and started to remove her shirt before Adrien's yelling caught her attention.

"Hu-what?" Marinette said, midway through removing her shirt, her arms halfway out of her sleeves.

"I said 'wait!' At least warn me so I could draw the sheet over the mirror!" Adrien said, his face was red, and his eyes were turned to the floor.

Oh. He was embarrassed! "Adrien, you're a model, don't people change in front of you all the time?"

"Well, yeah, but not girls! It's inappropriate!" Adrien exclaimed.

Wide awake now, Marinette pulled her shirt back down and sauntered over to the mirror, giving him a smirk and saying, "If you were really embarrassed, you would have drawn the sheet already, Adrien. I think you're just a little curious." She tapped the mirror to emphasize her point.

"Well-whatever! I'm going to change in the bathroom, and you should too!" Adrien rushed away without even taking his phone with him, and Marinette giggled. She wouldn't torture him like that. She took her sleep clothes into the bathroom and changed there. By the time she had come back, the image of Adrien's room was replaced with white cloth.

"Adrien, I'm decent, now," Marinette said.

"Good." The sheet was removed and Adrien was holding up his phone in one hand with the sheet in the other. "Well, I guess goodnight?"

"Yeah, good night, Adrien," she whispered.

"Good night, Princess."

They both hesitated to hang up, and Adrien chuckled at that. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Marinette."

"I'm glad you fell through my mirror, Adrien. Today has been the happiest day of my life. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." They finally hung up the call and moved away from the mirror and towards their own beds. The last thoughts in their heads as they drifted off to sleep were of each other, and there could be nothing better.