Once they'd sat there a while and Marinette had calmed a bit more, she spoke again, "I searched for you every day, you know." she said quietly.
Adrien looked at her gently.
"I got the whole team to look, too. We split the city up into blocks..." Marinette yawned widely, "Ugh, pardon me."
Adrien offered his own yawn in turn, "No pardon needed." he said with a snuff of amusement, "You... really were worried, huh?" he acknowledged softly.
Of course, they'd already established as much, but the fact she was circling back to it made him feel worse for not doing something to let her know he was in one piece before now.
Marinette nodded quietly.
A thought occurred, "Oh, by the way, what were you doing at the school?" she asked, blue eyes regarding him curiously.
Adrien flinched slightly, "Uh... how did you know I went there?"
Marinette pulled back a bit more, "Rooster Bold tried tracking your scent. It was really strong in one of the classrooms and part of the hallway, but there was no way to tell how you got in or left." she said, "Though I'm guessing now that just means you entered and exited as Cat Noir?"
Adrien nodded slightly, "Yeah... I... needed somewhere I could be alone to process after you kind of dropped a bomb on me." he said sheepishly, "That's why I went to the school, since it's closed for the summer."
Marinette frowned slightly, but nodded, "Oh... I see." she was going to drop it, lest she stir up more emotions, but there was just one other thing that didn't make sense.
"Um... one other question..."
"What's up?" Adrien asked.
He'd suggested no more secrets, so even if she was going to ask something a bit personal, he intended to answer.
"What on Earth did you need a staple remover for while you were there?" Marinette asked, giggling tiredly.
Adrien's eyes widened and he looked away initially in shame.
Crap. Why did she have to ask that?!
Marinette sensed his sudden shift in mood.
"Adrien?" she asked, suddenly not quite so sleepy.
He swallowed hard and looked at her guiltily, "When I figured out my amok must be my parents' wedding rings, I was still in denial about being a senti-being. I... figured if I could damage one slightly and I didn't feel anything, it would prove I was just a normal human being..." He glanced down as he watched her eyes fill up with horror.
"Y-You didn't..." she squeaked out.
"I just made a little scratch... It's barely there, but I got my answer." Adrien shifted uncomfortably.
"Adrien! Why would you even think of-" Marinette began helplessly, then just closed her mouth, watching him helplessly.
"I just wanted to prove I was 'real'." Adrien shook his head, "I really didn't understand or grasp sentis... not really." he admitted, "Talking to Argos helped, though."
He glanced back at her and sighed, "I know... it was pretty stupid of me. I wasn't thinking straight, but that's no excu-"
She threw herself at him.
She was crying again, and he hated himself for it.
"Adrien Agreste, don't you ever do anything like that again, do you hear me? I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to you!"
Marinette hugged him close, and he hugged her all the tighter.
"I won't. I promise." Adrien vowed, kissing her hair.
"I love you, Marinette." he bid.
Her tears slowed and she leaned in to kiss him.
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her tenderly, then again.
This time, Plagg made choking noises.
"Ugh. Okay. Enough is enough, I've officially met my mushy gushy quota for the next week at least."
"Plagg!" Tikki complained.
Marinette glanced over and smiled slightly, "He's right though..."
Adrien blinked, turning to her, "Huh?"
"Enough is enough... at least for tonight." Marinette clarified, "Since you came out as Cat Noir, I'm guessing no one knows that you're out. You probably should get home before you give your mom and Nathalie another heart attack."
"Ah, you're probably right." Adrien conceded, but his brow creased, "Will you be okay tonight, my lady?"
Marinette nodded, "You're home, you're alive, and we trust each other. What more could I need? Will you be okay, though?"
"For the first time in the past few days, I feel... content." Adrien smiled lightly and brushed her bangs from her bluebell eyes.
"See you tomorrow, then?" he asked, hand still hovering by her face.
"Tomorrow." Marinette agreed, "I'll bring chouquettes... and maybe some cheese filled rolls." she tacked on thoughtfully.
This caught Plagg's attention.
"Well? Are you going to kiss her goodnight? Because if you don't, I will after that."
"Plagg!" Adrien scolded.
Marinette giggled.
Adrien smirked in spite of himself.
The mood lightened, he opted for a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Good night, m'lady." he bid.
"Plagg... Claws Out!"
He transformed into Cat Noir once more and vaulted away.
Marinette watched him go.
~x~x~x~
The next morning, Adrien forced himself to get up early. He was still pretty drained from the ordeal of the past few days, but he had something to take care of before Marinette came over.
He managed to talk his mother into letting him go out in the limo for a few errands, provided the gorilla was with him throughout. This was fine, he decided, as anything he needed to do could be done with his bodyguard present.
First things first, Adrien directed the gorilla to make a stop at a florist. The burly man watched quietly as the teen approached the counter, enthusiastically explaining he needed three bouquets.
The florist looked bemused, "Whoah there, lover boy, how many girlfriends do you have exactly?"
"Just one." Adrien said easily, "The other two are for my mom and my..." he trailed off, trying to decide what Nathalie was to him. She was certainly like a second mom most days, but calling her such was another matter. "My dear friend." he elected to go with that.
"Ah, alright then." the florist said, "What are you looking for?"
"A dozen red roses." Adrien relayed, that was the easy one, "Make them look nice, maybe some ribbon?"
She showed him a few samples. He chose a silky pink ribbon, deciding that against the red roses it would represent Marinette perfectly.
"And the other two?" the florist asked.
"I'm not really sure." Adrien confessed, "I know a little bit about 'flower language', but I was hoping you could help me."
"What do you want to say?" the florist replied.
"I want one to mean 'forgiveness' and the other to mean something like 'I'm lucky to have you.'" Adrien explained.
The florist thought a moment, "I can do white tulips or daffodils for forgiveness?" she offered.
Adrien thought of Nathalie, "I think the tulips." he said, "Maybe a blue ribbon?"
He wanted her to know he was choosing to forgive her for being Mayura and the part she'd played.
The florist nodded, "Alright, for the other bouquet... perhaps magnolias?" she offered.
Adrien nodded, "That sounds great, thanks."
The florist went to prepare the bouquets for him, passing them off once Adrien paid by card.
The gorilla stepped up to help Adrien with the flowers, lest he drop one of his bouquets.
Adrien smiled, "Thanks, I appreciate it."
The gorilla nodded.
Once the flowers were safely in the car, Adrien spoke up again.
"There's one other thing. Could you... drive me to the statue of Father?"
The gorilla glanced back at him wordlessly, but both eyebrows had shot up.
"I just... need to tell him something. I won't be long." Adrien promised.
The gorilla studied him, but nodded.
He turned back around and started driving.
~x~x~x~
Soon, the limo pulled up as close as they could get to the statue.
Adrien opened the car door and slipped out of his seat.
"I'll be right back." he promised his bodyguard before closing the remaining distance.
Adrien stared up at the sculpture.
It was incredibly accurate; he'd give them that.
He wasn't sure if his father would've approved of it or considered it garish, but it didn't really matter now.
There was no grave, no body, no ashes, so this would have to do.
Adrien looked up at his father's likeness, frowning slightly.
"I was happier when I was in the dark, I'll give you that, Father." he sighed. "But I was also naive and blind. I'm glad the truth came out... Maybe you were ashamed of yourself in the end, but that doesn't excuse any of it."
The statue's only response was to reflect the morning sun off its highly polished surface.
Adrien stared at it even so.
"I want you to know, I stand by what I said in my dream... I don't think I can ever forgive you!" he swallowed, "But then... that would make me just like you, wouldn't it? Unable to move on, unable to let go..." his eyes stung, but he refused to shed a tear.
He'd already done his fair share of crying and screaming as of late.
"So, I've decided, it's something I'm going to work on for me." Adrien declared, "One day, I want to be able to forgive you... not because you deserve it, but because when I get there, I'll know I'm a better man then you ever were!"
He stared a moment longer, then started to walk away.
"Goodbye, Father." he murmured quietly.
The gorilla glanced to the back seat as Adrien rearranged himself.
Even without words, his gaze expressed a level of concern.
Adrien took a deep breath, then summoned a smile, "I'm good." he said, "Let's get back home. Marinette will probably be over any time now and I don't want to keep her waiting." he tacked on.
His bodyguard nodded and drove off obediently.
~x~x~x~
Marinette was just walking up to the gate when they rode up.
Adrien rolled down the window, "Hey there, beautiful. Can I interest you in a ride?" he said smoothly.
Marinette giggled, "So generous." she teased, be it that the distance was so short.
She was holding two fairly large brown paper bags.
Adrien smirked lightly and opened the car door, slipping out and offering her his seat before moving around the other side.
It was silly, but charming in a way.
"I brought the chouquettes as promised." Marinette chirped lightly as they started moving.
She saw Plagg's face peeking out near Adrien's shirt collar. She couldn't help smirking. He must not be trying too hard to hide from her, now that they knew each other's identities.
"And some cheese-filled rolls." she tacked on with a chuckle.
Plagg grinned, slipping back out of sight.
Adrien shook his head slightly.
As they pulled up in front of the manor, he offered her the bouquet of roses.
"For you, m'lady." he smiled.
"Oh, they're lovely, Adrien!" Marinette gushed, "Um... I don't think I have a free hand, though..."
"I'll trade you then." Adrien said lightly, taking the bags so she could hold the flowers.
Marinette inhaled their scent deeply, smiling.
How many times had she rejected roses just because they were from Cat Noir?
She'd been missing out...
Adrien smiled at her warmly and pecked her cheek.
Just seeing her smiling made him happy. Despite everything, just being around her still brightened his day in ways he couldn't really describe.
What Adrien was left with still didn't resemble a bed of roses... Though that didn't concern him too much. He had people all around that loved and cared about him. Imperfect people, like him, that made mistakes... but they were trying. It was because of them he could cope, and because of them he had no doubt that he and his lady could face the looming threat of a new villain head on.