And now for Marinette to meet her boyfriend's father! Will Gabriel condemn their love story or will he sanction it? And either way, what will happen after the fact?


Marinette was standing in front of the Agreste Manor. She'd been there before, yes, but she wasn't as intimidated by the building back then and she had a sick boyfriend to worry about.

'It's okay, Marinette, it's JUST a conversation with your fashion idol... Whose son you're dating...' Marinette thought, trying to calm herself down.

The gate opened, and Marinette swallowed a lump in her throat. She took a deep breath before walking through the gate and up the stairs to the manor doors. The doors opened to reveal Gabriel Agreste was standing there.

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng." He greeted.

Marinette gave a nod and said, "M. Agreste."

"Follow me to the office." He said, gesturing inside before walking in and making his way to the stairs. Marinette looked at the portrait at the stairs, which was a painting of Adrien with his father.

'He looks so sad in that painting...' Marinette thought as she examined Adrien's expression.

Marinette quickly followed Gabriel into his atelier, and she shut the door behind her with her free arm.

"I-It's nice to meet you in person, Monsieur," Marinette said as she scanned the studio room with her eyes. "I... I'm a fan of your work."

"I didn't ask you here to talk fashion, Marinette," Gabriel stated. "So, let's get down to business. First, how's your arm?"

"Only a sprain and some stitches that will heal in time, sir. I got my friends to help me with my commissions in the interim." Marinette responded, looking at her cast.

"Are your friends adept at making clothes?" He questioned.

"They all have strong points and weak spots that are unique to them. I can direct and teach them how to do it." Marinette spoke.

"Fair answer," Gabriel stated. "Now, about you and my son..."

Marinette started panic-talking, "I'm sorry about the party! I'm not causing scenes on purpose, I swear! It's not like I'm going around bragging about being Adrien's girlfriend - I'm not, honest! I'm trying my best not to cause trouble or be a nuisance! I mean, yes, I care about Adrien, but I know he has a reputation to keep! Yours, too! I-I mean, I promise, I'm not dating Adrien to get close to you because I admire your designs - I know better than that! I-I-I love Adrien, and I know that he loves me, but I-"

Marinette stopped herself, and began breathing, trying to calm herself down.

"Are you finished with your rambling?" Gabriel asked, sounding impatient.

"Y-Yes, sir." Marinette confirmed, looking at him in the eyes.

"Contrary to what you may be worried about, I actually have no objection to my son's relationship with you whatsoever." Gabriel said.

Marinette shook her head, surprised, before looking up at the elder Agreste.

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked, confused. "You're... Okay with us?"

"Normally, I would've preferred Adrien date someone of my choosing. That said, the heart wants what it wants, and I've been there." Gabriel explained, turning behind him to look at a portrait of a woman who was a dead ringer for Adrien.

Marinette looked at the picture before she and Gabriel looked at each other again.

"And I can't deny that if it hadn't been for you, Adrien could've been severely injured, maybe killed. I confess I've been negligent in showing gratitude for that," Gabriel added. "The fact that you didn't comment when mobbed by reporters, nor go on social media bragging about saving Adrien shows your humility. That deserves respect."

"Thank you, M. Agreste," Marinette said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Especially since I honestly don't believe I did anything other than speak up when I noticed something wrong."

"Which is exactly what you're supposed to do in those situations," Gabriel responded. "You've proven a talented designer, and knowledgable about the fashion world. But crucially, Adrien's been so happy since you two have gotten together."

"How can you tell?" Marinette asked, a little surprised, while thinking, 'Adrien's told me that his father is seldom there for him when he needs him.'

"He's been more eager for the photoshoots lately. Been more enthusiastic about them, for one. That one time you had to stand in during a shoot, Vincent said that it was Adrien's best work yet." Gabriel commented, showing Marinette the final shots from the shoots where she had to fill in.

"I'm... I'm honored, but... I didn't want my face shown because I didn't want people to think I'm taking advantage of Adrien to further my career or something," Marinette confessed. "I like him, I truly do, but this is a little overwhelming. I want to be with him as if we're a normal couple. I know that's not likely to happen, though, especially after the party."

"Indeed. Lucky for you, the majority of the response to this most recent event is positive. Most people are praising how Adrien handled it, calling you a good influence on him." Gabriel informed.

"Really?" Marinette questioned, a little embarrassed.

"Yes. Which is why, as long as you continue acting as you are with him, there won't be an issue," Gabriel spoke. "And I'll offer you my full financial and legal support to help your parents collect damages from the Bourgeois family. Zoé aside, they will no longer be allowed at any of my functions."

"That's very generous of you, M. Agreste," Marinette thanked. "My parents are going to sue, and add bullying charges against Chloé, too, but I don't want this becoming such a big deal online and in the news. The last thing any of us want is a huge media circus."

"Agreed." Gabriel said with a nod.

The door opened, and Adrien came in.

"Father, I - Marinette! What are you doing here?!" Adrien said, surprised to see his girlfriend. He ran up to her.

"Hi, Adrien," Marinette responded as Adrien gave her a hug, being wary of her arm. "Your father asked me to come."

Adrien gave a cautious, confused look to his father, who was stone-faced as always. Adrien asked, "You asked her here? What did you say to her?"

Gabriel gave a tiny smile and went back to his desktop to continue designing. He said to his son, "Nothing for you to worry about, Adrien. Now, shouldn't you be practicing your piano? Why not bring Marinette to your room?"

Adrien responded with a sad sigh and said, "Yes, father."

He took Marinette's shoulder and ushered her out to get her away from Gabriel, but the upcoming designer was sure she could hear the older man chuckling.

"You okay?" Marinette asked Adrien.

"What did he tell you? Seriously?!" Adrien asked, sounding frantic.

"He told me that he'll give my family financial and legal help with our lawsuit." Marinette said to him.

Adrien turned to her, gave her an owlish, surprised look, and asked, "Really? He said that?"

Marinette gave a nod before saying, "Yeah. He didn't order me to break up with you or anything like that."

Adrien heaved a loud sigh of relief.

"That's good," Adrien responded. "When I saw you talking to my father, I freaked. I was scared he was going to threaten you or something, especially after what happened at the party."

"I was afraid of that too, given what you've said about your relationship with him," Marinette confessed. "But I wasn't expecting him to tell me that he's okay with us as a couple."

"Well, what a relief," Adrien sighed as he brought Marinette to his room. "So, come on in."

Marinette gave a nod as Adrien opened the door and ushered her inside.

"I know you've been in here before." Adrien said.

"Yeah, when you got sick." Marinette giggled.

"But you were there for me," He responded as Marinette sat down at the bench. "Someday, I hope to be there for you like you are for me."

"Adrien, you already do that," Marinette said. "You brought me to the ER and you're constantly protecting me from any negative impacts from your modeling career."

"You've earned so much respect from everyone around you by just being you," Adrien told her. "People who try hurting you just can't comprehend the idea that you're just that good of a person. You're always trying to do what's right for the sake of it. Just another reason you mean so much to me."

Marinette blushed. He put his hand on the piano and started pressing a few keys, looking a little sad.

"...Has anyone tried hurting you like that in the past?" Marinette questioned.

"This one girl named Lila Rossi... Or at least, that's what she said her name was," Adrien confessed. "She came to a modeling casting, but when my father rejected her point-blank, saying she wasn't "model material," and he had no intention of letting her near me, she went insane. She snuck into my room, wearing a bathrobe and what I could only assume was a negligee or something. She ordered me to try to convince my father to hire her, threatening to trash my reputation if I didn't. I tried to reason with her and get her to leave, but she said that she can just pull up her social media, put on the crocodile tears, and everyone would believe her. She even gloated about some other lies she'd told that ruined the lives of the people who tried to stop her."

"So, how did you handle it? How did you get her to leave you be?" Marinette asked.

"I secretly had both my computer and my phone live-streaming and recording the exchange, and the news media picked up on it and began broadcasting the whole thing. I even learned the "help me" hand signal that was spreading on social media to make sure people knew I needed help," Adrien explained. "Then my father and bodyguard burst into my room and caught her. She started ranting that if they didn't say that she and I were an item, she would come up with a huge lie that would ruin us. Since we were still live on the screens, the police came. The criminal psychologist did an evaluation and said she was a sociopath and a pathological liar. So, for safety reasons, we had her tried and convicted, then deported from France. Her DNA and fingerprints are on file, so she won't be able to come back no matter what she tries."

"That's good," Marinette said. "She sounds worse than Chloé."

"She was. I'm just glad I found ways to protect myself." Adrien sighed.

"Enough about sad stuff," Marinette said. "I've never heard you play piano before!"

"Okay, how about a romantic jazz number?" Adrien laughed as he put his hands on the piano.

His fingers started jumping on the keys with syncopation, disturbing rhythms where they would normally be. Marinette started swaying her body to the unpredictable movements. The accented upbeats were filled with joy and smiles, and Marinette couldn't stop giggling at each shift in the song, from Adrien's improvisation in the tune. Though her arm wasn't viable, she was still swinging to the song.

The pair laughed once Adrien was finished with the song, and Marinette used her good arm to reach for the keys.

"I've never played a piano before! I'd like to give it a go!" Marinette said.

"Marinette, you know you can't mess around with your arm like that," Adrien said as he pulled her close to him. "I'm so glad your injury isn't any worse than a sprain and stitches."

"I guess I just have a lucky streak." Marinette joked.

"...I should've stopped Chloé the second she tried something." Adrien spoke, guilt saturating his voice.

"Adrien, you can't blame yourself for Chloé's behavior." Marinette responded.

"But she hurt you! She hurt you just like she hurts everyone else," Adrien insisted, hugging her tighter. "Bad enough she put Kim up to that prank, but going as far as to physically hurt you for laughs?!"

"Adrien!" Marinette said, stopping him in his tracks. She pulled away to look up at him, only to see the distress on his face. In fact, she could see tears leaking out of his eyes.

"I love you, Marinette, and you got injured on my watch. I'm sorry..." Adrien said as he kissed Marinette's cheek, lingering there for a few seconds. He pulled away. "I should've found a way to tamper with the guest list so you and your parents could come instead of the Bourgeois family. Or better yet, maybe I should have skipped the damned thing altogether and taken you out for ice cream."

He rubbed his hand up and down Marinette's back to soothe her.

"Ice cream, huh? André the ice cream man is known for amazing sundaes and flavor combinations, especially for couples! You should've seen what he whipped up for Alya and Nino! Ivan and Myléne, too. He even uses leftover macaron shells from the bakery every now and again." Marinette spoke with a smile.

"And he's right to do so! Those macarons are the best!" Adrien laughed.

He let go of his girlfriend before going back to practicing his piano. This time he went to Romantic-Era music pieces - "To A Wild Rose" by Edward MacDonald for one - meanwhile Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder. He chuckled, and the vibrations made Marinette feel the sensation of pleasure rush through her.

Other songs he played included "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy, Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," amongst others. Each song was just as comforting as the last, and Marinette couldn't help but feel Adrien's love for her in each piece.

After he finished his piano practice, Adrien brought Marinette over to the sofa.

"I know how good you are at Ultimate Mecha Strike, and I'd love to play a round with you, but I don't have any adaptive gaming controllers." Adrien said to her.

"That's okay. We can watch a movie instead." Marinette offered.

"Any genres I should avoid?" Adrien asked as he picked up the remote.

"No horror or thriller, unless they really tone it down for kids' audiences." Marinette requested.

"Which means no Tim Burton flicks," Adrien laughed. "How about a comedy?"

"Love it." Marinette agreed as Adrien started going through the selection of comedy movies he had available.

"Ooh, this one!" Adrien said as he found one he liked. "It's a classic!"

"Then shall we?" Marinette asked. "Oh, what about movie snacks?!"

"Popcorn, heavy on the salt and butter?" Adrien suggested, a sly smile on his face.

"Popcorn, heavy on the salt and butter." Marinette agreed, returning his smile.

Once they got the kitchen staff to send up a huge bowl of the popcorn, they got to eating it while watching their movie.

Several times, when they reached into the bowl, their hands brushed against each other. They couldn't help but look at each other with blushing faces in each instance.

At one point, they stopped watching the movie completely, instead staring at one another with smiles.

Later, Adrien had the Gorilla bring him and Marinette back to the bakery.

"That was a great movie," Marinette said, laughing. "It was so much fun, and the popcorn tasted great, too!"

"It was a great film, but the fact that I got to watch it with you was the best part of the whole thing." Adrien responded.

Marinette blushed, and she said, "I'm glad."

When the Gorilla pulled up the bakery, Adrien did his usual thing, escorting Marinette out of the car and to the bakery. He brought her to the side door.

"I can't wait for that arm of yours to completely heal up." Adrien said as he kissed Marinette's cheek.

"Neither can I," Marinette responded, her face pink. "I'll find ways to cope in the meantime. As Rose says, the problems don't matter, it's how you get through them that's important."

Adrien laughed and said, "Yep! She's right about that. And I know your friends will help you keep Chloé at bay, since chances are the school won't do anything."

"Given that the incident happened outside of school, that wouldn't be unexpected." Marinette sighed, sounding resigned.

Adrien gave her a hug, being careful of the cast, and said in her ear, "I look forward to when we can share a proper hug again."

He kissed her cheek once more before leaving for the car. He got in the back seat, waved goodbye to his girl, and shut the door. The car started leaving, and Marinette waved as it left. She giggled as she went back inside.

At school the following day, Marinette and Alya were sitting next to each other at their shared bench, talking strategy with everyone on how to help Marinette while her arm healed up. And Chloé had yet to make an appearance, so they were able to powwow without the blonde's cruelty.

"So, we have class notes, homework, babysitting, and sewing covered, but what about everything else?" Alya asked - she'd written everything down.

"My parents are going to see if they get someone else to make the bakery deliveries while my arm heals up. And I can't ride my scooter anywhere, obviously." Marinette reported.

"I can help!" Sabrina chimed in. "I can use my bicycle to deliver goods from the bakery if you want!"

"You'd do that, Sabrina?" Alya asked.

"Of course! I have you girls to thank for helping me get out of a toxic situation, so this is the least I can do to say thanks!" Sabrina said.

"Thank you," Marinette responded, smiling. "I'll tell my parents you offered to help."

Sabrina gave a smile before nodding and going back to her seat next to Nathaniel.

"Hey Marinette, sorry about your arm," The redheaded artist spoke up. "If you need help with your sketches for your designs, let me know."

"That would be great, Nathaniel! Thanks!" Marinette responded.

Everyone in the classroom started offering up their help to Marinette, while avoiding treating her like she was fragile.

Mlle. Bustier came in, and she said, "Okay, everyone, please get to your seats!"

Everyone got to their assigned seats and faced forward to their teacher. She had a serious expression on her face - something was up.

"Before we get started, I have some news," She began. "As you can see, Chloé's not here. As a result of her actions at the Diamond's Dance, Principal Damocles has moved her to a different homeroom class. She would've been expelled, but you know how it is with her: her dad is the mayor... But not for long."

Everyone started murmuring at this, and Marinette asked Alya, "What could she mean?"

"If you've been paying attention to the news, there are rumors going around that Mayor Bourgeois will step down as Mayor of Paris," Caline continued. "If this proves to be true, then the city will hold an election."

Again, Alya and Marinette smiled at each other, and everyone started clamoring in delight.

"I wonder who the candidates will be in this race?" Max questioned. "If the rumors are confirmed, then there's a 100% chance that the field will be completely open."

"I wouldn't count out M. D'Argencourt. He ran for mayor last time and lost by a huge margin. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried again." Ivan commented.

"But he's so old-fashioned that his ideas wouldn't mesh well with what the city needs." Mlle. Bustier added.

Marinette, hearing her teacher, looked up and asked, "What about you, Mlle. Bustier?"

Caline's eyes widened a little at this suggestion, and she questioned, "Me? But I'm only a teacher."

"You care about our planet and you're more concerned about using power to do what's right! You'd be great at the job!" Marinette reasoned.

Myléne stood from her seat and said, "Marinette's right! Mlle. Bustier! You should run for mayor!"

"Yeah! I already have a campaign slogan for you in mind." Alya laughed in agreement.

Everyone in the classroom started chanting, "Mayoress Bustier! Mayoress Bustier!"

Hearing her students' cheers, Caline smiled and said, "Okay! Then I will run for mayor if M. Bourgeois does step down!"

Everyone cheered in delight, and once the clamor died down, Caline said, "But that's for later. Now, let's get to our next poetry lesson, shall we?"

Marinette and Alya looked at each other in delight as they listened to their teacher - and hopefully future Mayoress - talk about the works of Maya Angelou.

That afternoon, the girls (including Sabrina) were up in Marinette's room, helping her out with her projects.

"Can you believe it?! The possibility of our Mlle. Bustier becoming Mayoress of Paris?! It would be miraculous!" Rose squealed as she was following Marinette's instructions on how to make the hat.

"It would!" Marinette agreed while showing Alya another trick on pleating a skirt.

"Maybe she can promote my dad to captain?" Sabrina suggested, as she had a tray of sewing materials and tools laid out.

"Sabrina, if your dad gets promoted, I think it would be better if he actually earned it first." Alya said.

"Good point." Sabrina agreed.

"Hey, Marinette," Zoé asked. "Which of these colored fabrics are you going to use for the dress?"

Zoé was holding out two different orange fabrics, but to the untrained eye, there wasn't much of a difference between them.

"The one on your left arm, Zoé," Marinette said. "It's subtle, but there is a sheen to it that I think would work with the overall design."

"Got it!" Zoé said as she went over to the sewing machine.

Juleka approached with a selection of different beads in various shapes, colors, and finishes, along with the paper that had the sketch for the finished product.

"Okay, yes, the largest beads are the silver 6/0 Miyuki beads in the Baroque finish. The rest of the beads are in the organizing box on my desk where the PC is. Everything's organized by shape, size, finish, etc. The thread types are there, too. Just follow the pattern on the paper and look up the remaining tutorial videos on my PC - they're all bookmarked." Marinette instructed.

Juleka gave a quiet nod before standing up and going to the computer. There was a knock on the trap door, and Tom opened it.

"Marinette, Adrien's here." Tom reported.

"Send him in!" Marinette said as she helped Alix figure out which type of thread to use for a shirt to be sewn up.

Said model climbed up the stairs into the room. He looked around and his expression went from casual to enamored.

"Marinette, this is a great setup you have in here," He praised. "It's so organized! You even have a loft bed? That's so cool!"

"Thanks," Marinette giggled, blushing. Rose came over with the hat. "Good work, Rose! It looks exactly how I pictured it!"

"That's great! I'll put it in its box!" Rose said as she left.

"I found all the double-faced satin ribbons! Which ones do we need!?" Sabrina questioned as she presented a variety of ribbon spools to Marinette.

"Okay, the 2.22CM wide in royal blue and the 7CM wide in navy blue." Marinette responded, pointing out the ribbon she needed for the item.

"Got it!" Sabrina said as she took the aforementioned ribbon spools out and went on her way.

Adrien chuckled and said, "You're amazing, Marinette. Anything I can do to help?"

"No, it looks like we've got everything covered." Marinette said as she looked over the list she'd written up.

Adrien came over to sit next to her, and looked over the paper in Marinette's uninjured hand.

"You've got this down to a science!" Adrien praised, impressed.

"Thank you." Marinette said, her face red - her nose was tickled by the scent of his cologne, the same one he wore at the Diamonds Dance.

The two of them faced each other, their eyes locked, and they began leaning in closer to each other. Their eyes began to close, their lips pursed...

"Are you sure this is the right time and place for that?" Alya teased. The pair looked up and around at everyone in the room. They were giving them sweet, albeit teasing expressions. Model and designer blushed in response.

"N-No, you're right," Marinette admitted as Adrien pulled back. "We shouldn't be doing this with an audience."

They gave awkward chuckles before shaking their heads and getting back to work.

"I think this is my first time in your room, Marinette," Adrien said as he kept looking around, trying to distract himself. "This is like your own personal design studio. And it's much smaller than my room."

"Well, not all of us have the luxury of having a room that huge." Marinette giggled.

"I know, but having your friends in here makes it feel less empty," Adrien confessed. "Usually it's just me in my room. Sometimes my cousin comes over from London and we have some fun, but that's about it."

"I guess that's why you seem a lot happier outside of that place than in," Marinette commented. "All of that luxury, but no one to share it with."

"But now I have you and the rest of your group," Adrien said as he put his arm around Marinette's shoulder (again, being mindful of the arm). "So, are you sure there's nothing for me to help with?"

"Maybe there is something you can help with, using your first-hand insight on the fashion world." Marinette said as she stood up and went to her PC. She pulled up a spreadsheet of her commissions - who wanted what, and for when - and took out her sketchbook where she had the designs for each item worked out.

"You up for it?" Marinette asked.

"Yes." Adrien responded with a firm, determined nod.

The rest of the afternoon came and went. The girls went home, but Marinette's parents insisted that Adrien stay behind to share dinner with them. Adrien, never being one to turn down good food, obliged.

They were at the dinner table, eating a healthy, but rich and hearty meal. On the table were leftover breads from the bakery, a savory cheese and sweet potato soufflé, a quinoa and kale salad with cranberries and a vinaigrette, all with salmon en croûte.

"Wow, this looks amazing!" Adrien said as he took the soufflé, served some, and put the dish down in front of Marinette. "You're lucky to be able to eat with your parents all the time, Marinette!"

"I know! It's so great to eat with family after a long day." Marinette said as Tom dished out some of the salad onto her plate.

He took a bite of the soufflé and said, "Man, this is just as good as the stuff that comes out of the bakery. This is some of the best food I've had from you guys yet!"

"Really?" Marinette asked, a teasing lilt to her voice as she put the soufflé down and scooped some out and onto her plate with her good hand. "Even though you have an in-house chef?"

"Home cooking just tastes different - good different. Like there's more passion put into the food," Adrien explained after biting into the salad. "Yum! The cranberries' sweet and acidic tones really make this salad pop!"

"And cranberries are good for helping with joint pain! The entire meal is based around foods that can contribute to a faster recovery, so Marinette can heal up quicker." Tom responded.

"But it wouldn't be a Dupain-Cheng dinner without breads!" Marinette agreed as she took a piece of baguette off her plate and tore into it with her teeth.

Adrien gave a laugh as they kept eating their meal. Adrien cut into the salmon en croûte.

"Wow! The salmon's cooked perfectly, the seasoning is on point, and the buttery pastry crust gives it a nice contrast." Adrien moaned as he chewed his bite.

"Thanks, Adrien," Sabine said as she also ate a bite. "And thank you for being there for Marinette when Chloé hurt her."

"Of course," Adrien responded after swallowing. He turned to Marinete with a pensive expression. "So, I know you two have been classmates all this time, so how was it dealing with her today?"

"I didn't have to," Marinette reported with a big smile. "Mr. Damocles finally grew a spine and moved Chloé to a different homeroom. He even rearranged her schedule so that way we wouldn't encounter each other all day! It's going to be like this for the rest of the year, and hopefully for the rest of my school days."

"That's great news," Adrien said as he ate a bite of bread. "And how about your lawsuit?"

"We were expecting the mayor to just chuck it out, settle out of court, or file a countersuit just to placate his wife. But it seems like he's at his wits' end with Chloé." Tom spoke up.

"So it's going to court?" Adrien asked.

"Seems that way. I'd prefer if it did go to court, if for no other reason than to hold Chloé and her parents accountable for once," Sabine admitted. "And if the rumors are true and the mayor does resign from his post, it would be even better."

"Speaking of which, Mlle. Bustier said that she'll run for mayor if Chloé's father does resign!" Marinette responded, a smile on her face.

"Really?! That would be great if she did and won!" Tom added.

"It would be, especially since I've heard so many great things about her from you." Adrien said while he kept eating.

Marinette swallowed another bite of food before saying, "She's a great teacher! If you and I had her as a mutual teacher, or were even in the same class, I'm sure you'd think so, too!"

Adrien gave a smile and confessed, "I'm sure I would."

He took another bite of the salmon and moaned in delight.

"Wish I could eat like this with my family every night." Adrien said as he kept eating.

"Whenever you have a free evening, you're welcome to join us instead!" Tom offered, putting his large hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"Really? I wouldn't be imposing?" Adrien questioned, sounding flattered.

"Of course not." Sabine said.

"And once my arm's all better, I certainly wouldn't mind teaching you a few things in the kitchen." Marinette offered.

"That would be great!" Adrien laughed, smiling and blushing in delight.

Once they finished their meal, they cleared the table, and Tom began showing Adrien how to wash dishes by hand, as well as how to properly load the dishwasher.

"You're a quick study, Adrien!" Tom praised as Adrien scraped food off of the plate before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Thank you." Adrien responded as he took one of the chef knives and carefully washed it by hand.

Following Tom's instructions, Adrien made sure the sharp side of the knife wasn't facing his palm as he wiped the blade clean. He put it in the drying rack, handle up.

On the couch, Marinette was looking at her arm in worry.

"Are you okay?" Sabine asked as she sat down next to her daughter.

"I'm just hoping my arm heals up faster," Marinette said. "This cast, while necessary, is inconvenient."

"I know, honey," Sabine said. "But you have us, your friends, and Adrien to help you when you need it. Today was just the perfect example."

Marinette gave a smile, confessing, "Having Adrien in my life is a blessing. It's funny how when we first met, I saved him from getting hurt."

She turned her head around and craned her neck to look at her dad and Adrien cleaning the kitchen. Seeing Adrien enjoying himself

"You've helped him out quite a few times, actually. Nursing him when he was sick, and standing in for the female model during that shoot." Sabine said, listing off Adrien's actions. "And he's helped you out, too. Bringing you home when your scooter had to get fixed, getting you out of that party and to the ER."

"Coming by today to help me and the girls." Marinette added.

The two women laughed.

"He's a good one," Sabine said. "You two really are great together."

"Like you and dad?" Marinette questioned.

Sabine gave a smile and nod, saying, "Like your father and I. There might be more with you and Adrien, though."

Marinette's cheeks tinted, and she responded, "Who knows? I just know that we've been there for each other when we need it."

"As it should be." Sabine agreed.

Almost on cue, Adrien came over to sit on the couch, next to Marinette. He said, "That was a great meal. How about I bring those recipes home for the chef to try?"

"Good idea. Nutrient-dense and flavorful? I don't think your father will argue with that." Marinette spoke.

"And learning how to wash dishes and load a dishwasher was so much fun!" Adrien laughed.

"Since we're done eating, how about we watch some TV? They're airing a new episode of Never Too Late to Do Good tonight." Tom suggested.

"I'd love-" Adrien began, but his phone went off. He picked it up, looked at the screen, and groaned. "Sorry, but my bodyguard's coming."

"That's too bad," Tom said. "Maybe next time?"

"I can only hope so," Adrien responded as he gave Marinette a kiss on her cheek before standing up to leave. "I'll call you tomorrow, Princess."

He went to the door to the living space before looking over his shoulder. He said, "Thanks for a great evening."

As he exited the door and shut it behind him, Marinette couldn't stop a smile from growing on her face.


Alright, this chapter confirms NO APPEARANCES BY LILA! She's irrelevant now. And again, I'm sorry this took such a long time. Gotta do what I get paid for first, you know? Watching "Shadybug and Claw Noir" was a boost of inspiration, too.

But I'm still struggling to figure out where the rest of this plot is going to go, or how it's going to end. Hell, I don't even know what the next chapter is going to focus on! Originality is NOT my strength - I do better if I have a script or something else to work with.