"Honestly what kind of parent does that to their child?!" Sabine huffed, "you have one little argument, and kick them to the street?! That's not what family is about!"

"I know dear, but it's not down to us to tell him how to raise his son," Tom said, calmly.

"I've a right mind to phone child services!"

"Just wait until the morning, maybe this will all blow over!"

Sabine groaned like a frustrated teenager. Tom wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to ease her sulk. Sabine leaned back into his arms, and heaved a great sigh as he rocked her gently side to side.

"He's just a child... I couldn't bare the idea of Mari on the streets alone. How could he do it?"

"I don't know, but I do know that we're going to give that boy a warm, safe, welcoming place to stay, for all the while he needs one. Aren't we?" Tom said.

Sabine nodded "Of course. And we can adopt him if we must!"

Tom croaked in surprise. His mind immediately went back to this evening, when he had been teasing their daughter about her first date. He didn't think she'd approve of adopting him as her brother now...

"Slow down dear, we can't talk about adopting him when he isn't even here yet! Come morning he and his father will have talked, and if they're still not seeing eye to eye, then we'll adopt him and raise him into a baker!"

Sabine laughed and laid the back of her head against his shoulder. Her husband was ridiculous and silly, and she loved him so very much. He kissed the hairline at her temple, the only part he could reach, and laid his cheek on her head. His wife was protective of everyone and fiery to do it. He loved that.
They heard the bell above the bakery door jingle, and turned to look at the door. The footsteps were slow and tired, but they could hear soft laughter as the two kids came wandering up. That eased the worry Sabine had been having. At least he was happy enough to laugh. When they came to the stop step, they tried to look less exhausted and less giggly, so her parents wouldn't think too badly of them for taking to scenic route home.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng, I'm sorry we're late, I was trying to clear my head, and I'm sorry I have to be a burden on you, but-"

Tom cut Adrien off by laying a large hand on his shoulder, and pulling him towards the coffee table, where a plate of cookies was waiting. "They're left over from yesterday I'm afraid, but we thought you can't go wrong with cookies and hot coco. You're welcome to have as many as you like, it's no bother."

Adrien smiled up at him. his nose was icy, and his cheeks were rosy from the cold wind, but he didn't feel it. the entire time Marinette had leaned on him, he had felt like he'd been wrapped in a blanket. She kept him warm. At the mention of food, Plagg appeared. Adrien glanced back at Marinette, grateful that she had been there for him, and spotted the kwami, his kwami, hiding in her pocket. his face fell. Marinette tilted her head.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing," he lied quickly.

Sabine stood up, and stood between Marinette and Adrien. "Let's talk in your bedroom."

It was that tone. The one your mother gives in front of strangers to tell you you're in deep trouble, but it would wait until you're alone. One you can't argue with. Marinette nodded. She followed her mother up the ladder into her room, like a dead man walking.

"I hope I didn't get Mari into trouble. I didn't mean to. It's all my fault," Adrien insisted.

"It isn't Adrien, don't worry," Tom promised.

"But the only reason she lied is because I asked her to!"

"You ask her to, and she chose to. You suggested it, but it was her choice. Although you shouldn't have suggested it."

Adrien bowed his head. "I know. I'm sorry."

"We understand why you did it, don't worry. just, next time, tell us. We won't bite your head off for having an argument with your father! Marinette thinks Paris isn't dangerous because the heroes are out there defending us, but everyone makes mistakes. It's always dangerous, and every time she goes out alone, we worry. its what parents do. I can't ask you two to understand that, you're just kids, but one day you'll understand how it feels to have a heart attack every time your child is out of your sight."

Adrien frowned into his drink. His father had lost his wife the day Adrien lost his mother. The day he became ultra-protective, as well as a perfectionist. Maybe he had two heart attacks when Adrien wasn't around. One of his own, and one on her behalf. Adrien felt a tug of guilt. It was involuntary. He didn't want to feel bad for his father, but dammit he loved him! try as he might, he still loved him. and his father was all he had left to love. Well, his father, and Plagg. And Plagg was in there with Marinette.

Plagg and Tikki kept low in Marinette's pocket as Sabine sat her on her sofa and lectured her on safety and honesty to her parents, even when it meant giving up the chance to go to a concert with a friend. that that was selfish, and damaging to both of them. that she was so angry at her for going out unprotected, and so glad she was safe, and so proud she had made Adrien smile, even with everything she was going through. It was a strange lecture, full of pride and fury, and ending with the tightest hug her mother had ever given her. Plagg got squished in the cross hairs, and Tikki tried to wriggle him out. they ended up in a tangled heap at the bottom of the pocket, biting back giggles. Plagg's tail flicked across Tikki's antenna, tickling her, and her mouth was near his chest, so every time she gasped between choking back giggles, he felt her breathe through his fur, and he had to bite his lip to keep from purring.

"Help me set up his bed," Sabine said.

Marinette sat up like a bolt of lightning had hit her. "he's sleeping in here?"

"well he can't sleep out there, we'd wake him up when we get up to bake."

"But-"

"Mari, the boy needs sleep as much as you do. if you want, he can sleep in here, and you can share our bed with me and your father."

"I'll be fine in here."

"I thought so."

Plagg and Tikki shared an urgent look as they found themselves hidden in Marinette's room, with no idea who would come in and accidentally find them. but curiosity got the better of Plagg. He slipped out of the jacket, and hovered around to take in the mess, the height of the bed, and these dolls.

Plagg chuckled, and prodded the Chat Noir doll in the belly. "She really does like him, doesn't she?"

Tikki found herself hoping curiosity would maim this cat. Not kill him. she didn't want to lose him. but if he couldn't keep his hands to his self, she'd have to teach him a lesson.

"The dolls are to help her while babysitting. And anyway, she wasn't the one who wrote a poem to her!" Tikki argued.

Plagg wrinkled her nose, "yeah sorry, he's sappy and gross."

"I liked it," Tikki countered.

Plagg raised an eyebrow. "you… you did?"

"I did. It was romantic. Sappy, but romantic. But I like sappy and romantic."

Plagg made a mental note of this. then they heard footsteps heading this way, and Plagg dove behind the doll, so Tikki ducked into her usual hiding place, in the top drawer of her desk. Marinette appeared first, followed by Adrien. Both glanced around, urgently, to try and catch a glimpse of where their naughty kwamis had gone to hide. They couldn't.

"I like your room Marinette. I like that you sleep so high up. all I have at the top of my room is a rock climbing wall," Adrien complained.

Marinette laughed. It was clear from his tone that he didn't think he was bragging, and he blinked at her in surprise when she laughed. That made her heart beat a little harder for him. he was so adorably clueless.

"Thanks. It's perfect for blanket forts," she said.

Adrien frowned. "Blanket forts?"

Marinette froze, and stared at him like he was Martian. "you've never made a blanket fort?!"

"No… what's a blanket fort?" he asked, again.

Marinette's jaw dropped. In that moment it was decided. They were building a blanket fort. She dropped the bed linin her mother had sent her up with, and walked over to her bed's ladder.

"Grab that sofa, and pull it over here," she ordered.

"But, why?" he asked.

"we're building you a blanket fort!" she declared.

Marinette yanked the sheets and duvet off of her bed and threw them down to the floor. Adrien leapt back so that they didn't hit him. he stared at her in awe, and then just laughed. Marinette was such a funny thing. She changed her mind on a whim, and now, suddenly, they were building a fort. He wandered over to the sofa, and dragged it, stubbornly, across the room. She leapt down from the top of her bed, and landed on the hard floor with a bump.

"are you ok?!" Adrien asked, urgently.

Marinette dusted herself off, and nodded, grinned, "I'm fine, I've done it a million times."

Adrien gave a shaky smile, half relieved, half intrigued. This was like a whole other side of Marinette. She wasn't the stammering walking disaster zone she was at school, she was smoother. More confident. More Ladybug.

"here, grab this sheet, and pull it up here."

Her hand brushed against his, and she snatched it back, gave a sheepish smile, and adjusted her stance. Adrien felt his chest glow for her. she might be more Ladybug here, but she was still Marinette. So perfectly apologetic.

"So it's like a tent made out of a pile of sheets?" he asked.

"sort of, but it's not like that when you're inside, it's better!" she declared.

Adrien didn't see how it could live up to the hype, but shrugged, "whatever you say princess."

Marinette rolled her eyes. now it was rolling from his tongue as easily as it rolled from Chat's, and yet, somehow it felt even better coming from him. Plagg and Tikki snuck out of their hiding spaces, and helped to gather the fabrics. Plagg tugged at a box of rolls of fabric that Marinette used for designing. Adrien wandered over, and glanced in. he recognised some fabrics, because she had shown him the designs, or worn them in front of him, but others looked new or unused. One that caught his eye was a whole roll of smooth black cotton. It looked untouched, and yet it was open and ready to be used.

"What's this for?" he asked curiously.

Marinette was Tikki were sitting cross legged on the floor some distance away. They were trying to unknot a tangle of Christmas lights to hang up in the blanket fort. Marinette glanced over, and bit her lip. She had to look away, and point. Adrien followed her gaze. When it came to the dolls that the two of them had spent so long fighting the Puppeteer to get back, his smile was automatic. How could he have forgotten them? look how cute they were!

"You really like Chat Noir huh?" he grinned.

"Not really, he's kind of annoying," Marinette muttered.

"Huh?" he asked again.

She forced a smile, "He's one of a kind."

Adrien grinned back. He was that. Plagg rolled his eyes heavily, and jabbed Adrien in the arm.

"Hey, Romeo, ask if we can use this fabric for the tent," he said.

"Blanket fort," Adrien corrected.

"To-ma-to, tom-ah-to!"

"Hey, Mari, shall we use this?" Adrien called.

Marinette didn't even glance up before answering. "the open ones, sure."

"Wont they get dirty before you can use them though?" Tikki asked, uncertainly.

"Don't worry, we'll put them on the outside and the sheets on the inside to protect them," Marinette said.

"Like a shell?" Tikki beamed.

Marinette chuckled at the way her eyes lit up, "sure, like a shell."

Tikki beamed. Marinette grinned back at her. Tikki was adorable too. Plagg and Adrien tied up the last few sheets underneath the bed. They were using the space under the bed as the fort, so the roof was the bedframe. The only windows they had left were the gaps between the steps of the ladder. Through them they could see Marinette sitting on the floor. She crawled over to the plug now that the fairy lights were finally untangled, and switched it on. Tikki gasped as the pale blue bulbs lit up around her.
Plagg's heart stopped.
The way they reflected from her moon-sized eye made them look like stars. as if there were a whole universe inside of her, and he was finally catching a glimpse of the depths of it. her awe lit up the rest of her face, and now, she was shining like a firework. Full of light and colour, and awe.
Plagg was lost for words.
Camembert had nothing on Tikki.

"Hey, come on, let's get these lights through the bed supports," Adrien said, poking him gently.

Plagg nodded, and floated after him, but his wide, unblinking eyes, never moved from Tikki. Marinette scooped Tikki up, gently, to hide her from Adrien, and Adrien tucked Plagg into his jacket, so Marinette couldn't see him. Tikki was full of light now, and beamed at Marinette. Plagg blinked, finally out of his trace now he couldn't see her, but the image was burned into his mind. She was beautiful.

"is it done?" Adrien asked, curiously as he picked up the end of the light trail.

"Not yet. Put those up, and I'll finish the rest," she promised.

He nodded, and unplugged the lights so he could weave them through the bed frame easier. They twisted around the corners and weaved through the gaps like dolphins through the waves. When he plugged them back in to the plug higher up, by her "bedside table" (which was more like a plank half way up the wall with a lamp on it) they lit up the underside of her bed like a fairy party. Adrien stepped backwards to take it all in. it still looked like a tent made of blankets to him. especially with that one sheet folded back over the sofa, to form a tunnel they had to crawl through to get into. Marinette gathered her duvet, the duvet they had given Adrien, and all the cushions she could find, and dumped them on the floor. She positioned the cushions to trap them in, like a wall length sofa, and padded the floor with the biggest duvet. The smaller one she folded up along one side of the fort, to use as an actual duvet when the time for sleep came.
Plagg sat the doll of Ladybug on the sofa, overlooking the fort, as if she were guarding it. Tikki sat Chat Noir beside her, because if Plagg was going to be annoying, she was going to help. The Chat doll slumped slightly when Plagg's hand ran down Tikki's wings and made her jump. Then she set off, chasing him around the room childishly, and Chat stayed slumped against Ladybug like best friends. Since they couldn't be seen by their charges, they were free to whizz around wildly, until she finally caught him. Tikki tackled him, mid-air, and the pair of them plummeted into the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. They sat up, laughing manically, and gasped for air. they laughed harder when they realised what they were covered in.

"You know, buggy, black is your colour. You should let it wrap you up warm," he winked.

Tikki pulled a dirty sock off of her head, and threw it at Plagg. It hit him square in the face, and he wheeled backwards. She laughed so hard she fell backwards. Plagg grinned. What could he say? She was his love bug.

"are you ready?" Marinette grinned.

Adrien tightened his grip on the torch she'd given him, and nodded. She grinned wider, and flicked off the main light. Now the only light in the room was the glow of Christmas lights, muted by the blankets hiding them. Adrien gasped. Marinette beamed. That was exactly what she was going for.

Tom glanced over at the shut trapped door that led to his daughter's bedroom. The light had flicked off, and now there wasn't the usual shine around the edges of the door. Tom turned to Sabine, who was nuzzled against his chest on the sofa, finally relaxed again.

"Our first day didn't end spending the night together," Tom said, pointedly.

"It wasn't a date dear. Nino and Alya went too," Sabine pointed out.

Tom wrinkled his nose. Alya and Nino hadn't gone. He wasn't falling for that. Adrien would have gone home with Nino if they had all been out together. No, this was a date. and it wasn't over yet, because they were still together. Sabine chuckled, and Tom's attention was draw away from the trap door.

"what?"

"I love the way your moustache shakes when you're suspicious," Sabine smiled.

Tom's ears turned pink. He smiled, and cuddled down closer to her. maybe it wasn't a date, but if it was, and it felt as good as every time his wife smiled at him like that, maybe he could accept it. Adrien was a good kid after all. he'd be lucky to have a girl like Marinette. And she'd be lucky to find someone to love like he loved Sabine. Tom heard a faint laugh coming from upstairs, muffled by the door. He smiled softly.

As long as he made her happy, then it was fine by him.